The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is consulting with the Lagos State Government for Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) lanes along the Apapa route to ease traffic gridlock.
Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
Usman noted that the introduction of BRT lanes along the corridor will discourage port road users from plying the route in their personal vehicles and further improve traffic management along port area.
“The management is also aware of the menace of commercial vehicle drivers along the roads leading in and out of Apapa.
“And in order to reduce the menace, the management of NPA is already in talks with the officials of Lagos State Government with a view to introducing BRT along the Apapa Traffic corridor.
“It is our belief that when BRT is introduced, this will discourage port workers from plying the route in their personnel vehicles which will in turn improve traffic along the roads”, she stated.
The NPA boss added that the management of Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) was being involved in finding solution to all the operational challenges being encountered by the concessionaire.
On the refusal of shipping companies and tank farm operators to use their holding bays for receipt of empty containers and trucks waiting to load respectively, she pointed out that the authority will hold an interactive session with concerned groups where such issues would be treated.
According to Usman, shipping companies would be directed to use their holding bay for receipt of empty containers.
She disclosed a letter has been written to the Directorate of Petroleum Resources, an agency of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), on the need to direct all tank farms to have holding bay for tankers to avert unnecessary queue of trucks along the corridor.
Usman assured that issue of multiple security check points had been stopped with the directive given to all security agencies to carry out their statutory functions in a single interface and “they have been directed not to stop any truck loaded with cargo within and outside the port under the guise of security check”
The NPA also commended members of Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) for their concern and suggestions on ways to ease traffic flow during the construction work on Wharf-Leventis Road, Apapa.
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