”All road users should learn to obey traffic rules and be civilised while on the road"

Last month, the governor of Lagos state, Akinwunmi Ambode, gave a new directive to Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) concerning how they handle offenders.

The new directive is to book offenders rather than apprehending them or chasing their vehicles.

READ: See LASTMA's new method for traffic offenders

Unfortunately, motorists are wrongly taking advantage of this new method by openly disregarding traffic rules.

This has led to Segun Olulade, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, urging motorists to violating traffic laws.

READ: General manager of LASTAM urges officials to avoid chasing vehicles!

According to him, these violations have led to persistent traffic jams in Lagos.

”Lagosians, especially motorists, commuters and every other road user should understand that the traffic law was passed by the state House of Assembly and was signed into law by the executive arm and this law is still very much in place. To this end, everyone must be civilised and obey the law. The governor, Mr., in his wisdom, has urged men of the to stop impounding vehicles because he believes so much in doing things in a civilised manner. In civilised societies, you will never see traffic officers running after a motorist or jump into someone’s vehicle all because that person committed a traffic offence. That is where Lagos State is going; it shouldn’t be until LASTMA officials entered into our vehicles that we will obey traffic rules. All road users should learn to obey traffic rules and be civilised while on the road. The fact that the governor made that pronouncement that no vehicle should be impounded doesn’t mean we should start breaking the laws.”

Last month, the Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) also asked motorists to abide by traffic rules.