The Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) has issued a-six -week ultimatum to owners of articulated vehicles and trucks to remove rickety trucks from the roads to ensure safety.
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The Director of VIS, Mr Akin-George Fashola, gave this ultimatum at a stakeholders’ meeting attended by several truck owners in the state.
Fashola said that the development became imperative as part of efforts to further unlock gridlock and ensure free vehicular movement across Lagos metropolis in a statement on Friday from his ministry.
According to him, there is the need to sensitise articulated vehicles and truck owners on safety by ensuring that their vehicles are perfectly in good conditions before putting them on roads.
Fashola said: “This has become necessary in view of the traffic gridlocks often resulting from frequent breakdowns of rickety articulated trucks that daily ply Lagos roads and the danger they constitute to human safety.”
He said that the stakeholders’ meeting was aimed at bringing different players together and educating them on government policy on how to move dry and wet cargoes within the state.
“It is also to intimate them with government’s policy as it relates to carnage involving articulated trucks on Lagos roads.
“At the end of the meeting, it was jointly agreed by all parties that a period of six (6) weeks be given to all stakeholders involved in haulage movement (dry/wet cargoes) to revalidate their documentation and put their vehicles in proper working conditions,” he said.
The VIS boss said that failure to put their vehicles in good conditions would make the authority to impound such vehicles.
He added that increased traffic gridlocks in the metropolis occasioned by regular breakdowns of articulated vehicles clearly indicated that there was the need to inculcate the culture of safety in motorists on Lagos roads.
The director warned that the VIS would, henceforth, uphold the state government’s zero tolerance for rickety trucks/ articulated vehicles in the state for safety consideration.
The VIS boss explained that the meeting was in line with the state government’s zero tolerance for carnage on Lagos roads.
He cautioned operators of articulated trucks, tippers and tankers to comply with all guidelines on safety and standard operations or be sanctioned.
Fashola listed areas that all parties jointly agreed and signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for road safety to include: zero tolerance for rickety trucks and articulated vehicles on Lagos roads.
They agreed that: pp all rickety trucks and articulated vehicles should no longer be allocated to Lagos roads and that all drivers of articulated vehicles should ensure they drive with the required Class G driver’s licence.
Similarly, they agreed that there should be adequate publicity on government directives on radio and television stations as well as in newspapers to sensitise their members, especially, those that did not attend the meeting.
They also agreed that all articulated vehicles that developed mechanical problems should not be allowed to load or leave their loading points.
They said that there should be collaboration between the truck owners and haulage companies that have computerised testing facilities that meet global standard practice to enhance compliance and safety.
They promised to always organise continuous training and retraining of their drivers.
Fashola said that truck owners agreed to abide by the agreements reached at the meetingto ensure safety and free vehicular movements on Lagos roads.
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