Fuel scarcity: Lagos govt to impound vehicles causing traffic around filling stations
Solomon Ezeme
The Lagos State Government has vowed to impound vehicles queuing up for fuel at filling stations across the state, causing heavy gridlock on major highways.
This was revealed by Dr Frederic Oladeinde, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation who advised motorists to avoid causing gridlocks along highways while queueing up for petrol at the station.
Dr Oladeinde instructed traffic regulatory authorities in Lagos to go round and enforce free vehicular movement on the highways by arresting motorists who do not properly park their vehicles along the road.
This is against the backdrop of incessant queues by mostly motorists at various filling stations across the state, resulting in traffic jams on different routes, including inter-state.
EnergyDay’s check on Petrocam, a filling station along Elf Bus Stop, Lekki Expressway, revealed that no fewer than 50 cars were haphazardly parked person queue, along the highway by motorists queueing for fuel on Tuesday.
The Commissioner frowned at the actions of all motorists who contribute to gridlocks along the roads, describing them as acts that constitute “a burden for other road users”.
He appealed to operators of filling stations to sell to their customers in a way that will not disrupt the free flow traffic in the state.
“The government sympathises with motorists who are enduring the pains of the fuel shortage being experienced across the country.
“This, however, is no excuse to block roads and impede traffic flow.
“We want our roads to be free; we do not want fuel queues to constitute a burden for other road users in Lagos,” he said.