The Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA) has reacted to an opinion making rounds on social media, about the “proper steps to reducing casualty on our roads during this period” credited to one Hamzat Hammed.
While the authority appreciates the writer for his highly constructive and objective piece, rather than taking a vindictive disposition exhibited in the article, it is important that Oyo Affairs succinctly outline the various official approaches OYRTMA employs in ensuring effective management of human and vehicular movement across the state.
Effective Traffic Management is a concept that is not an exclusive responsibility of the government or her agencies as it requires active participation of all stakeholders including the road users. While the government, through her legislative apparatus formulates the traffic management laws of the states, the executive arms are responsible for the enforcement of the formulated laws, while the duty of compliance and obedience lies squarely on the road users; hence, keeping the roads safe becomes the responsibility of all.
In our dear pace setter state, the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority Law (2009) is the legislative framework upon which the authority formulates her policies and programmes aimed at ensuring free vehicular and human movement across the state. Through this framework, the authority has developed several policies such as the Operation Zero-Tolerance-to-One-Way, Operation One-Passenger, Operation No-Hold-Up, Special Night Operations, Fast-Track Emergency, Rescue Operations, Stop and Test Operations among many others which are all currently being enforced.
Additionally, Section 16 of the law empowers the OYRTMA to engage individuals or other corporate entities on issues bothering on the actualisation of her core mandates. This was invoked very recently on the 4th of November, 2021 when the authority joined with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) at the national workshop for proprietors and trainings for instructors of driving schools, to deliberate on the Driving
Schools Standardisation’s Programme (DSSP) where the Executive Governor of Oyo state, Engr. Seyi Makinde, represented by Mogaji Akin Fagbemi Ph.D, Executive Chairman OYRTMA posited that the DSSP would drastically assist in reducing road traffic accidents across the state as well as improve the driving skills and behavioural inclinations of our drivers.
Meanwhile, the Operation “Zero-Tolerance-To-One-Way” became imperative upon the authority’s notice of rampant and deliberate indiscipline exhibited by some private and commercial drivers of motorcycles, cars, tricycles and articulated trucks. The operation aims at halting this ugly trend by engaging in robust advocacy and sensitisation awareness on the dire consequences of driving against traffic (one-way) and subsequently melting punitive measures against defaulters. This extends to those making U-turn at undesignated places as well as those flagrantly disobeying the traffic lights.
It was gathered that the Executive Chairman of Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA), Mogaji Akin Fagbemi Ph.D, has often driven round town to personally assess the level of compliance, and took note of hot spots prone to accidents and more traffic congestion with a view to deploying more men and officers to the identified areas. This action, is yielding positive results as improvements are being noticed at the affected areas particularly within Ibadan metropolis.
Furthermore, the authority having identified the traffic situations at Apata, Oluyole, Ring-road and their environs in Ibadan, has created new commands at Ring-Road, Oluyole and Apata where men and officers are permanently stationed to maintain orderliness and ensure free movement. Similarly, leadership of the command in Ogbomosho South has just been changed and more men deployed in a swift reaction to the reported traffic congestions at that part of the state with positive results recorded in a short time.
Reports have it that in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, the ongoing road rehabilitation has been identified to be a major cause of the traffic congestion experienced for the past few days. The authority has since deployed more men to the area and traffic is being diverted to other available alternative routes via Oke-Bola, Iyaganku and so on.
Traders, car dealers and others found encroaching the road corridors have been ordered out, with severe sanctions awaiting defaulters.
Whilst the authority grossly regrets and identifies with the writer in sympathising with all those involved in the reported crash along the Old-Ife road this morning, particularly the unnamed aged woman involved, we wish them a quick recovery. Meanwhile, it is worthy of note that the Old-Ife Road is a Trunk-A road plied by inter-state vehicles including heavy-duty trucks, trailers and travelling luxurious buses. Therefore, OYRTMA discourage tricycles from competing with these categories of fast-moving articulated trucks to avoid disastrous crashes.
The authority, under Dr. Akin Fagbemi has intensified efforts on arresting one-way offenders, illegal U-Turn offenders and we are glad of the progress made so far whilst we acknowledge that there is still much more to be done.
In conclusion, Oyo Affairs uses this opportunity to enjoin road users in Oyo state to be more vigilant and obedient to traffic rules and regulations at all times particularly during this Ember months during which there is higher vehicular movement in the state. It should always ring that vigilance of everyone means safety for all and negligence of anyone, portends danger to all.
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