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Heavy Traffic Deadlock in Ikotun Roundabout, Commuters, Residents Seek Lasting Solution

Traffic jam at Ikotun Roundabout in the afternoon of  July 13

Endlessly, day and night, come rain or sunshine, heavy traffic jam resulting in commuting go-slow and more time, dead no movement for long periods is experienced in Ikotun roundabout. Commuters, residents and traffic controllers lament the mounting challenge it posses and the search for solution is unending, Alimoshotides writes.

Thursday was a day Joseph would never forget. That day, he boarded a tricycle from Governor Road, to get to the First Bank at Ijegun. Anticipating getting to the bank in less than ten minutes, he suddenly found himself sitting in the three-legged vehicle for up to thirty minutes.

This is not the first time that Joseph, who resides in Ikotun, has encountered this. In fact, he experienced it every time he has to connect Ikotun roundabout to his place of appointment.

He knew he would spend another thirty minutes or more when he got to the bank because of the line of anxious customers who stood at the counter with angry eyes as they collectively watched the cashier like a hungry dog whose eyes was following a dangling bone.

Vexed, Joseph adjusted his knees nudging the boy who sat beside him in the dust-covered keke. He reluctantly tucked out a folded fifty naira note in his three quarter’s pocket and gave it to the keke driver who collected it and slightly sighted the grin on the face of his passenger. He knew why. He too had a story to tell, of the bugging hardship he faced whenever he drove towards the traffic jammed roundabout.

The keke driver, who identified himself as Uzo said, “Everyday, it takes me more than thirty minutes before I pass this place. I do not make any profit. It’s as if I am just wasting my time.”

“The police are not doing their job very well. They allow these danfovehicles to pick up passengers along the road and they collect bribe from them and that contributes to the heavy traffic we have on this road.”

There are several roundabouts in Alimosho Local Government. There is one at Council road, one at Akowonjo, one at Alaguntan, to mention a few. But the roundabout at Ikotun, a long surviving point to four major roads in the area- Igando, Ejigbo, Council-Iyana Ipaja and Ijegun or Abaranje, is the worst commuted of them all.

The hustle and tussle of variety of vehicles at the roundabout has the most worrisome traffic situation next to none ever recorded in the Local government area. It is in this clogged atmosphere and the rant of automobile horns, busy market community hides the Ikotun Divisional police station that secures the Ikotun area.  It is also on this terrible traffic storm one will find all brands of traffic control agents. Our correspondent sight some on light blue and dark blue uniform colour and a brigade-like cap, like night guards. They are seen walking to and fro the traffic ring.  Now you see them, now you don’t. They wield a stick in their hand; they seem to control the traffic.

Exerting much more control are the traffic controller agents: the LASTMA, the police; often time one sight the Rapid Response Squad patrol van parked at the junction, and some plainclothes security agents.

These are often sighted apprehending traffic offenders to let them loose after being offered some form of gratification; more times than frequent, the FRSC and VIO officials visit to make their rounds of traffic control that yields no result.

A new comer to that roundabout would take the much experienced traffic deadlock to be a result of the resident market at the roundabout. Though it does have its own share of the effect, a lot more factors contributes to the traffic.

“I don’t reside here. But from what I am seeing, this place is very tight. It is so congested. The road is well constructed so I don’t see it as the cause of the traffic on the road. It is the poor job of the traffic agents,” retorted Mr. Tunde, a commuter from Isheri area.

He continued, “They are not doing their jobs very well.The traffic agents are there to control the traffic, but they are focusing more on money collection than controlling the vehicles. The traffic agents should wake up to their responsibilities and do it wholeheartedly instead of collecting money. If they stop that, I want to believe that everything will be moving well.”

A keke driver, Mr. Solomon, who has been riding for three years, said that when he newly came to Ikotun to start driving, the traffic on the road was not as much as it is now.

“Before now, this traffic gridlock was not like this, but as this place became more populated; with many others taking on the driving profession, the traffic jam started setting in.

“Nowadays, I don’t go home with up to N1000 as my profit. Even though I make more than that, the police and some of these boys- I don’t know where they are coming from, would have collected part of it from me. We pay the boys in the morning, afternoon and night. I also make expenses on fuel and there is no how I won’t spend up to N1000 on fuel. And the fuel finishes faster because of the traffic jam we experience often and often,” Solomon lamented.

A commuter along Ijegun road, Mr. Charles Nwankwo, who earns his living from driving, stated that the traffic was caused by the narrowness of the road.

“The road is not very wide and there are a lot of vehicles moving on it,” he said.

According to him, “A lot of activities go on, on this road. These traders who are selling along the road don’t have enough space to sell their goods. That is one of the main reasons for this traffic.

“It is really affecting my job. The place I’m supposed to get to in five minutes; because of the go-slow, it takes me forty-five minutes. There is nothing one can do than to exercise patience.”

A passenger, Mrs. Mary Ayoola, who said she was going to the market, said that she was delayed on the road for about an hour because of the gridlock.

"All these cars that are rushing at the same time, I don’t know where they are rushing to. They are the ones causing this traffic. I was going to the market during the Muslim festive season, I waited for almost an hour in the bus and I got home late that day.” She lamented.

A pastor, Mr. Samuel, who was going to Governor Road, said that the traffic was caused by the activities of the commercial drivers who drove recklessly on the road.

He added that the danfo drivers on the road bribed the police for them to load passengers along the road. “Due to this, the traffic is unavoidable,” He said.

Along the road that leads to the Local government, Our correspondent noticed a bewildered woman who paused for apple refreshments in one of the apple joints in front of a newspaper stand.A black belt demarcated the red and black uniform she wore. She was a traffic police.

As she turned, our correspondent had caught her red-handed cleaning her mouth after an apple snack. In a bid to hear from her about the troubles of the traffic jam, our correspondent introduced himself. But before he could finish the statement, “I'm a repor…” she had cut in, “Wait! I am very busy now. Don’t disturb me. Look for another person.”

Indefatigable, our correspondent approached another traffic police, who spoke on condition of anonymity, according to her, controlling the traffic was an almost impossible task.

She said they were doing their best. “We are doing our best. But no matter how we try to reduce traffic on this road, it still gathers again. It’s like we are controlling this traffic forever.The problem of this traffic is lack of garage. There is no garage in Ikotun for commercial vehicles to pack their vehicles. So they just park anywhere and the road gets congested,” She spoke in a low tone.

Some of the residents in the area who cried out to the government to come to their aid suggested that a pedestrian bridge be constructed in the area as it would ease the traffic.

Others suggested that the female traffic police officers be replaced and vibrant male officer introduced to check the menace.

Some others suggested that a garage should be built at Ikotun for the commercial vehicles.

“The government can build a bridge that links from Igando to Ejigbo and vice versa. This will reduce the number of cars that go on ground and allow some to drive on the bridge because the number of vehicles in this area is too much.The government can do it. They should do it,” A resident, Pastor Samuel recommended.

“The government needs to build a garage in Ikotun for vehicles especially commercial buses to park their vehicles,” a traffic warden at Ikotun who pleaded anonymity, recommended.