Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Ogunjimi Demands Intelligent Traffic System to End Gridlock
A legal practitioner and public affairs commentator, Chief George Bamidele Ogunjimi, Esq., has called on the Federal Government to establish a permanent intelligent traffic-management system on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to address the recurring gridlock and minimise economic losses caused by accidents, road construction and vehicle breakdowns.
Ogunjimi, in a statement, said the persistent traffic situation on the strategic highway had gone beyond an occasional inconvenience, describing it as a major transportation and economic challenge affecting millions of road users.
He urged the Federal Government and relevant state authorities to move away from what he described as reactive responses to traffic crises and establish a coordinated, technology-driven system capable of monitoring the entire corridor and responding to incidents in real time.
He proposed the establishment of a Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Traffic Management and Control Centre, jointly operated by relevant federal and state agencies.
According to him, the proposed centre should monitor the highway round the clock through CCTV cameras, traffic sensors, GPS information and real-time incident reports.
He said such a system would enable authorities to detect accidents and other incidents around major locations, including Kara, Magboro, Mowe, Ibafo and Sagamu, within minutes and deploy the necessary response before the situation escalates.
Ogunjimi also called for the strategic positioning of tow trucks, ambulances, fire-service equipment and trained incident-response teams at identified traffic blackspots.
He said broken-down vehicles and minor accidents should not be allowed to cause hours-long gridlock simply because emergency-response equipment is unavailable or too far from the scene.
“The principle should be simple: detect, respond and clear,” he said.
The lawyer further advocated the installation of electronic variable-message signs at strategic locations along the expressway to provide motorists with real-time information on accidents, road closures, diversions and expected delays.
He said information on traffic disruptions should also be disseminated through official traffic applications, navigation platforms, radio and verified social-media channels.
On traffic enforcement, Ogunjimi called for increased use of technology to detect speeding, dangerous overtaking, driving against traffic and other serious violations.
He said cameras and other intelligent enforcement systems could complement the efforts of traffic officers and help curb dangerous driving practices capable of worsening traffic situations.
He also urged the Lagos and Ogun State Governments, in collaboration with the Federal Government, to identify, upgrade and maintain viable alternative routes around the expressway.
According to him, alternative routes should be planned and maintained before emergencies occur, rather than being discovered only after the main highway has become paralysed.
Ogunjimi further proposed that every major road rehabilitation or construction project on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway should have a compulsory Traffic Management Plan approved before construction begins.
He said such a plan must clearly state where traffic would be diverted, the expected duration of the diversion, the agencies responsible for traffic control, emergency access arrangements and how motorists would be informed.
“Road repairs are necessary, but poorly managed repairs should not punish millions of road users,” he said.
He stressed the need for a permanent joint operational framework involving the Federal Ministry of Works, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Nigeria Police Force, emergency services and other relevant agencies.
According to him, the fact that the expressway crosses administrative boundaries should not affect the coordination of traffic management because motorists and traffic move continuously between the affected jurisdictions.
“The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway cuts across administrative boundaries, but traffic does not respect those boundaries,” he said.
Ogunjimi described the expressway as one of Nigeria’s critical economic corridors, linking Lagos with Ogun, Oyo and the wider South-West while serving millions of commuters, traders, businesses and transport operators.
He therefore urged the authorities to adopt a long-term strategy focused on technology, inter-agency coordination, rapid incident response, effective enforcement, alternative routes and reliable communication.
He said the ultimate objective should be to develop a system capable of predicting and preventing traffic disruptions and containing incidents before they result in prolonged gridlock.
