Lagos-Ibadan: Commuters knock govt, Julius Berger as gridlock worsens
Commuters, motorists and residents have expressed frustration after enduring gruelling traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The traffic, which started last week, heightened on Monday and Tuesday, as travellers coming home from the Sallah holiday got trapped in the gridlock.
The situation, however, became worse on Wednesday following the end of the holidays and the return of workers to offices, leading to a high volume of vehicles moving inward Lagos.
PUNCH Metro noted that the stretch of Arepo towards Berger inward Lagos was totally blocked, as motorists negotiated potholes through the axis.
A traveller, Mr Emeka Nze, said he missed his flight and consequently a business deal, due to the traffic.
Nze said, “My flight was slated for 9am on Monday. I left the house with my driver a few minutes past 6am after my in-law called to tell us about the state of the road.
“I live in Aseese; I never got to Berger, as the traffic was just too much and you know there is fuel scarcity too, so we almost ran out of fuel. I was frustrated and had to turn back as the purpose for which I was travelling was already defeated.”
A commuter, who gave his name only as Dele, said the stress of passing the road everyday was beginning to affect his health.
He said, “The traffic has made it a hurdle to get vehicles to come this way. The few that do have increased fares by almost 300 per cent. Sitting for long in traffic is beginning to affect my health; my feet get so swollen that sometimes I have to alight and walk beside the bus a bit just to control it; my back hurts a lot too. I don’t know why they can’t find a lasting solution to the problem. At least for a month or so, in April, we enjoyed the road until they started dividing the road again without fixing the bad spots at Fatgbems; it’s unfair on us.”
Dele slammed Julius Berger for leaving commuters to their fate.
A driver, Eze, said, “The time I have spent in this traffic is tiring. Julius Berger should use the necessary materials to fix this road once and for all instead of the substandard work that allows rain to keep damaging the road.”
Residents along the axis also decried the traffic, which they said was avoidable.
Residents on the Isheri-Riverview Estate, who spoke to PUNCH Metro, expressed their displeasure at the state of the road, saying motorists, in a bid to avoid the traffic on the expressway, resorted to plying the untarred road leading to their estate, thus extending the traffic and making the route unmotorable.
They wondered why the Ministry of Works refused to fix the expressway despite the harrowing ordeals of motorists. Punch
Our correspondents learnt that five people were injured early Wednesday in an accident at the Arepo end of the road involving a Mack truck and a yellow Mazda bus travelling from Ibadan to Lagos. Punch
