Relocation of tank farms solution to Apapa traffic congestion----FRSC
(Nigeria )
The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, said on Thursday that the relocation
of tank farms from the Apapa Port roads, Lagos State
remained the permanent solution to the persistent gridlock in the area.
The Lagos Sector Commander of the commission, Mr Chidi
Nkwonta, told NAN in Lagos ,
that the measures being taken at the moment to end the congestion were
temporary.
Nkwonta said that the increase in the number of tankers and
trucks, the dilapidated condition of the roads, and the negligence of the
stakeholders in the oil and gas industry made it necessary for the tank farms
to be relocated.
He said: ``we expect the tank farms to be moved from Apapa;
they cannot be on the port roads in Apapa; the siting of the tank farms is
inappropriate. It is in the heart of the town and it is unsafe, it is causing
congestion. As such, it is endangering the entire environment.
So, the tank farms must move at the long run, while the
roads must be fixed. You cannot control the traffic on those roads when the
roads are so bad. The number of vehicles on the roads is large and there is no
parking space for the trucks.
“Most of those trucks enter the potholes and they get stuck;
some of the trucks lack maintenance; and coupled with the existence of the
potholes it is difficult to move them.”
According to the sector commander, lack of functional
loading bays, dishonesty among stakeholders in coordinating the movement of the
tankers in and out of the farms made drivers to resort to queuing on the access
roads.
He said they queued to avoid being pushed to the back by
other loaders of products.
Nkwonta alleged that the company currently rehabilitating
the roads had worsened the situation by blocking parts of the roads while
working in the daytime.
He advised that the construction work could be done at
night.
He urged the construction company to fill all the potholes
on the roads, as a temporary measure, to ease the ``nightmare`` for the people.
The sector commander urged the government to designate a
route for tankers and trucks.
Nkwonta advised the government to provide dedicated parks
for the tankers and introduce the use of tallies in order to coordinate the
movement of such tankers in batches.
He urged the unions to put their loading bays in good shape
and to ensure that all the drivers adhered strictly to the laws guiding their
operations.
The FRSC boss said that the commission had drafted no fewer
than 300 officers and two commands to control traffic in the area in a bid to
solve the problem.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the
Nigerian Navy had been working hard to find a sustainable solution to the
gridlock.
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