By
Tajudeen Sowole
In one
year of taking a space on the airwave, Lagos
Traffic Radio 96.1fm has stressed the power of radio in management of
vehicular traffic, specifically, exposing poor compliance and enforcement of
basic rules.
Regarded as Africa’s first traffic
radio, it’s another landmark for Nigeria, which gave the continent its first TV
station in 1959, courtesy of Western
Nigeria Television (WNTV), Ibadan. Wednesday, last week marked was one year
96.1 fm on air.
When the governor of the state,
Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) unveiled 96.1 fm, last year, it was stated that
the radio station would help reduce travel time of motorists and other road
users.
A Presenter on Lagos Traffic Radio, Oluwanisola Arashi |
During the one year on air, however, the radio station has exposed inadequacy, or lack of a national policy on road transportation. In fact, for a greater part of the year, until recently, 96.1 fm appeared like a double edged-sword: as much as it provided guidance to motorists and made vehicular traffic management easier, it offered Lagosians opportunity to release their angst over inability of governments’ agencies Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Nigeria Police traffic officers to enforce traffic laws.
With an estimated population of between
18 to 20 million, Lagos, as the traffic radio showed, provides a template for a
total overhauling of Nigeria’s road transportation system.
Quite interesting, some ‘vocabularies’
have emerged in the lexicon of radio broadcast courtesy of traffic control via
the airwaves. Some of such usage of words include ‘Yankee Bravo’, a name given
to the mini commercial bus drivers, perhaps as a result of their lack of regard
for other users of the road; ‘backlog’, remnant of static or slow moving
traffic caused by an obstruction; ‘inward’ or ‘outward’, going or coming.
The radio station was a double
coincidence: launched on the lackluster Democracy
Day, of May 29, 2012, perhaps as a dividend of democracy and also a timely
event that rescued motorists from the increasing traffic gridlock, during the
repair of a section of the Third Mainland Bridge..
The Lagos Traffic Radio started as a three-way
phone-in communication between motorists, a radio presenter and traffic
managers, LASTMA officials. While the station continued to enjoy kudos from
members of the public, the airwave was increasingly thickened with blame games
each time motorists were stuck in avoidable traffic jam, mostly caused by
excesses of mini yellow commercial bus drivers who picked and discharged
passengers at unathorised spots. Frustrated motorists who called the radio
station always alleged that enforcement of traffic laws, could not be achieved “because
some of the buses are owned by some members of LASTMA and Nigeria Police”
traffic officers.
Also the traffic officers have been mostly, accused, by callers on
the radio station, of extorting
money from private motorists while commercial bus drivers ‘are untouchable’ even
for bigger traffic offences. However, the power of radio in linking the people
with governance played out on most of the situations as the Honourable
Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa often made input by calling on
phone to drop his number and emails 0807 500 5411, opeifaeko@yahoo.com for complaints. The
phone and emails contacts of LASTMA were also made available. And quite
commendable that those who used the contacts expressed satisfaction.
However, proper and fair enforcement
still remained issue. In the early months, up to late last year, the radio
airwaves often got so tensed that a presenter on duty would be caught in the
crossfire between motorists and LASTMA. Aside presenters such as Tunmise
Oladapo-Kuku, Femi Akanni, Victor Oteri, Adebowale Yusuf (a.k.a Mama Sharwama), Victoria Avoseh George and the Night-Shift lady, Oluwanisola Arashi, who tried to manage people’s
frustration and anger, few other presenters were often dragged into hot debates
over ‘lack of enforcement’ on commercial bus drivers and okadas.
And the hope that the enactment of the
New Lagos Traffic Laws would bring succour appeared to have been dashed so soon
as non-commercial motorists, even currently, still complain about incalcitrance
of commercial bus drivers obstructing free flow of traffic at unauthorised notorious
bust stops at Mile 12, Ketu, Iyana Ipaja, Moshalashi and Ikotun junction. And
as the airwave thickened with debates, which often beclouded the widely lauded
advantage of the traffic radio, It was therefore not surprising when the three
way communication was modified, keeping most calls of motorists off the air
during peak hours of morning and ‘return journey’ in the evening. Currently,
there is a two-way-communication: between the presenter and LASTMA official or
a new introduction, described as traffic report from the Control Room of the
state’s traffic authority. Why exactly was the sudden change? The original
concept of the traffic radio, a source from the Lagos State Ministry of
Transportation, disclosed was to allow the traffic officials on the road and
the control room report traffic situations to the radio stations while motorists
and other users of the road get the reports from the radio “without a phone-in”.
The change in format, which cleansed
the airwave of people’s emotion, however came a bit late as the enforcement of
the traffic laws on okada riders generated quite unnecessary heated debate that
overshadowed the real purpose of traffic control.
About eight months into the enactment
of the New Lagos Traffic Laws and one year of the Lagos Traffic Radio,
inadequacy of a national policy on road transportation has been exposed as
well. For example, reports from
LASTMA and motorists monitored via the traffic radio station showed that
another common impediment to free flow of vehicular traffic on highways in
Lagos, was constant breakdown of long articulated vehicles otherwise known as
trailers. Through reports from traffic officials as well as motorists, an
average of two to three trailers often break down on the major highways every
an hour. Most affected are Ikorodu Road, Western Avenue and Apapa-Oshodi
Expressway and the Wharf axis. Also, similar reports come on the radio airwave
from Lagos-Ibadan Expressway – each time the Federal Road Safety Corps {FRSC}
gives traffic reports on Lagos Traffic Radio. Most times, the reports come from
the Southwest commander of FRSC, covering from Benin-Ore through Lagos-Ibadan
and berthing on the Idi-Iroko and Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway as well as from the
Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps {TRACE}.
And that the Lagos State Government is
currently unable to enforce a section of the new traffic laws that restricts
trailers to the hours of between 9 pm and 6 p.m clearly exposed lack of a
national policy on road transportation. On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as well as
inside Lagos, particularly inward Wharf, from Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, reports
from Lagos Traffic Radio keeps showing that the trailers are ‘kings’ of the
road. The ‘impediments’ they cause is also worsened by non-professional
attitudes of the drivers and poor state of some roads. During
one of the editions of a morning segment Your
Side Mirror as well as other segments at different periods of the programmes
monitored across the year, which focused professionalism in driving commercial
bus and trailers, some of the callers traced lack of compliance in traffic laws
to the seemingly open age for commercial transport drivers.
Most of the 'stubborn drivers’, the callers noted,
are in the teens to mid 20s age brackets. Inability of a national policy on
road transportation, if there is any, to regulate age of commercial bus and
long drivers was faulted.
Traffic radio is on air from 5 a.m to 12 mid-night. Aside the uninterrupted reports of traffic across the state and parts of Ogun State during the early hours and evening, other sections of the progranning, which offered education on better usage of road include Your Side Mirror, anchored by Oteri and Automedics, about car maintenance-culture presented by Kunle Shonaike.
For some users of the radio station, the one year anniversary offered
another opportunity to make input. Lawal who called on
the phone-in, Wednesday during Your Side
Mirror' segment lauded the efforts of LASTMA and the presenters. He however
urged the station to play less music. He noted that the station often played
more music than reporting traffic, citing the dynamics of regular change in vehicular
traffic, which needs to be disseminated as soon as possible.
And
when another caller, Nonye countered the observation of Lawal, the issue of
priority between music and reporting traffic resurfaced. Nonye argued that
"we need more music". Quite a number of callers, over the one year of
the radio station have complained about "more music and less traffic
report".
In
programming, two of Lagos Traffic Radio’s most popular sections are Arashi’s Night-Waves, a nerve relaxing moment
between 9 to 12 midnight and Oteri’s Your
Side Mirror.
One year on the airwave, has Lagos Traffic Radio achieved it
goal? Hon Opeifa, few days ago placed the score card on the desk of the public.
“That's for the public to decide”, Opeifa said.
Indeed, the radio station, aside providing guidance for motorists on the
state of vehicular traffic when required, it appeared to have provided a medium
for what one of the presenters, Oladapo-Kuku always referred to the appeal of
Fashola: “Let us invest in the industry of the mind”.
A source disclosed that Lagos Traffic Radio, is an initiative of
LASTMA and was expected to be handled by the Ministry of Transportation, but
“hijacked” by Radio Lagos Eko 89.7 fm
unit of Lagos State Broadcasting Corporation. The commercialisation of the
morning and evening sections of the Lagos
Traffic Radio during the early months of its operation, which appeared to
have reduced free flow of reports from LASTMA and motorists, the source said,
angered the Ministry of Transportation. The section was taken off air so soon.
Indeed, the commercial sections which included ‘prize winning
courtesy of a leading communication company was taking quite a lot of attention
from the main business of reporting traffic situations during the peak hours.
Please what is the phone number to call to reach Traffic Radio?
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