Lagos Metropolitan Area Traffic Management Strategy

The overall vision for Lagos Metropolitan Area Traffic Management Strategy is a clear statement of how Lagos State Government and LAMATA aim to make Lagos Metropolis a better place to live and work. The Lagos State Transport Master Plan (TMP) and Traffic Management Units (TMU) are being developed simultaneously to ensure that works on the highway contribute to the State’s vision during the subsequent period 2007-2011.

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Traffic Management Strategy provides the people of Lagos State with the opportunity to choose the most appropriate form of transport, the infrastructure to enable their safe journey and the services for a convenient trip.
For shorter journeys, for example of less than one mile, walking, cycling or the bus will be the first modes of choice, rather than the last. For longer journeys, LAMATA envisions the bus or train to be a realistic option. If after considering all the alternative modes of transport and the only or preferred option is the car, we want to provide a safe, free flowing, managed road network.

Traffic management will continue to be the State’s pledge to “get Lagos moving again, tackling road congestion and road safety, and improving public transport”.
The road network in the Lagos Metropolitan Area does not currently function as efficiently as it should. In keeping with the Lagos State Government and LAMATA vision, the Traffic Management Strategy (TMS) provides a framework to deliver improvements by providing a network that is clear, consistent and understandable to all road users, so that the road network can be used in a way that is appropriate and considerate to all.

Lagos Metropolitan Area has the universal problem of continuing traffic growth on an antiquated road system with improvements not keeping pace with traffic growth. Traffic management measures must be fully exploited to minimize delays, accidents, pollution and inappropriate use with strong bias towards integrated travel initiatives to encourage a switch to public transport, walking and cycling modes. If optimum use is to be made of the highway system, a balance of priorities must be set between:

(a) Priority for buses and public transport interchanges;
(b) Efficient commercial vehicular access;
(c) Minimum delays to all travelers;
(d) Ensuring safe conditions for all users;
(e) Securing appropriate environmental conditions for residents with relief from parking obstructions, speeding problems and intrusion by inappropriate vehicle types;
(f) A high standard of well-maintained strategic route and local destination signs.

The Traffic Management Strategy (TMS) therefore will address the local concerns of road users and residents on the issues of safety and environmental protection, whilst providing a practical input to support parking, delay control and public transport strategies.

The high level of daily complaints by the general public demonstrates the importance of the issue of traffic management to the local population. Predominant concerns are:
-Speeding;
-Parking nuisance;
-Lack of pedestrian facilities;
-Accident risk;
-Inadequate direction, warning and regulatory signs; and,
-Inappropriate levels or type of traffic.

Measures to address these concerns are largely to be delivered by the Traffic Management strategy, which includes:
-The understanding of the congestion phenomenon
-Promotion of sustainable travel,
-Minor and major highway works,
-Large Goods Vehicle Regulation,
-Traffic Regulation Orders, and
-Design of quality signing schemes & road markings.