33-man Ghanaian delegation in Lagos to understudy LAMATA, BRT
The recent visit of a 33-man Ghanaian delegation to understudy the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and the first ever Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Africa is significant in many respects.
First the visit underscores the importance of the BRT as one of the many options for solving transport problems that have come to characterise cities worldwide. It highlights the ability of LAMATA, as an agency saddled with the planning, providing infrastructure for public transportation and its regulation, to put in place transport scheme that other cities could learn and borrow from.
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| The Delegation in a group photographs with LAMATA officials, BRT operators and operatives at the Bus Depot garage, Ketu, Lagos. |
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Given the tough political environment that is prevalent in Lagos, the implementation of the project further highlights the ability of LAMATA to implement poverty alleviation projects in built up area without pulling down any structure. Besides, LAMATA has successfully begun a process that incorporates existing operators and managing them from an era of unregulated operations to a regulated one.
These no doubt have marked out LAMATA as a performing agency, a quality already alluded to by World Bank’s Ajay Kumar who on a recent visit to Lagos expressed his preference for other cities that have the intention of implementing BRT to come to Lagos rather than going to Bogotá in Colombia or Curitiba in Brazil to understudy BRT.
During the two-day visit, the Managing Director of LAMATA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, took the delegation through a presentation on institutional framework of LAMATA, challenges and the critical success factor. In sum, Dr. Mobereola listed reduction in expenditure on transport, increased satisfaction with public transport, reduced time spent by the non-rich on transportation, positive impact on road and pedestrian safety and empowerment of beneficiaries through participatory processes as performance indicators for LAMATA.
The agency’s successes to date had been buoyed by shared common vision, generous support from communities where projects are being implemented, adequate funding by the government and the World Bank, empowerment of partner through capacity building, offering of leadership qualities and capacity building.
In his presentation, entitled “Lagos BRT Lite: The journey so far”, Deputy Director, Public Transport Department of LAMATA, Dr. Desmond Amiegbebhor gave an overview of the transport situation in Lagos, characterized by poor transit facilities, poor quality of public transport, route duplications, demand-supply gap, enforcement problems and the presence of social miscreants among others.
Dr. Amiegbebhor gave the highlights of bus reform strategy in the metropolitan Lagos to include the introduction of bus franchise concept, which would commence with a pilot franchise scheme on Iyana-Ipaja/Igando/Ikotun corridor. The service would be operated through co-operative/association as legal entities under franchise agreement. Another strategy is the implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on seven other corridors as well as repair/rehabilitation major bus routes.
Giving reasons why LAMATA had to implement the BRT Lite system, Dr. Amiegbebhor attributed this to its lower development costs, greater operating flexibility, practical alternative to major highway construction.
He listed the advantages of the BRT Lite to include its accessibility, affordability, enhancement of system identity, travel comfort and enhancement of safety and security. Besides, it reduces transit travel time, increases trip reliability, improves transit connections and also provides more direct services while decreasing waiting times.
At a meeting with the preferred operators for the Pilot Bus Franchise scheme for the Iyana-Ipaja/Igando/Ikotun corridor, the delegation was assured that members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) who form the bulk of the cooperative would run the new scheme just as is the case with the BRT system.
Speaking at the forum, Honourable Adelabu Onibiyo thanked the Ghanaian for making Lagos BRT the reference system for their upcoming transport system.
Honourable Onibiyo informed the visitors that Alimosho Local Government is the largest local government in Nigeria in terms of land mass and concentration of people. “Our local government is the most populous in Nigeria with about 1.3 million inhabitants according to the census figures but we know we are more than this. Even at 1.3 million inhabitants, we are up to the population of some states in Nigeria. You know the importance this local government vis-à-vis the transport project being implemented in this area by LAMATA”, Hon. Onibiyo said.
He described the Managing Director of LAMATA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola as the “pride of our government.” Dr. Mobereola has with the successful implementation of the BRT showcase his knowledge acquired over the years abroad and we are proud of him.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area, Mr. Olatunde Agoro congratulated Dr. Mobereola on the successful launch and operations of the BRT system. He said, “I am enthusiastic about the project that is under construction within my local council development area. Because of our belief in the system, we have given a parcel of land to LAMATA for the depot where it would stow the buses for the franchise scheme. We are also considering building a multi-level car park within the premises. The project will be private sector led and it would be executed under a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.”
On the roadside sellers displaced by the transport enhancement project, Mr. Agoro disclosed that spaces had been provided in the main market in the local government for them. He said a lot of enlightenment was been carried out to educate the populace on the project.
Commenting on the visit, leader of the delegation, Dr. D.D. Darku expressed the appreciation of the group for the way LAMATA officials received it. He commended the good work LAMATA is doing in Lagos and expressed the hope that in another year or two when LAMATA officials visit Accra, Ghana, its BRT would have been running.
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