By Fidelis Ugbomeh
As part of efforts to move people en masse from one locatiin to another and reduce over-dependence on road mode of transport, the Lagos State government has continued to develop rail and water infrastructures, with safety of passengers as priority.
General manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority Mr. Damilola Emmanuel, who dropped this hint recently in Lagos, said, to achieve this aim, an interchange has been built at Marina, Lagos, while another will soon be established at Mile 2 so that passengers can choose any mode of transport to continue their journeys after disembarking at both locations depending on their destinations.
He noted that, presently, passengers who disembark from the Lagos State-owned train shuttle from Mile 2 to Marina have the option of continuing their trips to Epe or Ajah by water or road.
Emmanuel stated further that, when the ongoing construction of Mile 2 to Okokomaiko railway line is completed, passengers will also have the option of transiting by rail or road after disembarking from ferry at Mile 2.
He said, in view of the fact that 15 out of 20 local government areas of the state have access to water, the state government is poised to boost ferry and rail transport so as to move people en masse seamlessly.
The LASWA boss who made these disclosures recently in Lagos while playing host to officials of Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) and Interferry Association alongside members of Transportation Correspondents Association of Nigeria (TCAN) however decried the loss of man hours experienced on the roads by commuters due to over dependence on the road mode.
He described Interferry association as an international safety body that promotes ferry safety from Europe to America, Asia and Africa.
Explaining further he said, “Data from our Control Room helps us make informed decisions always. And that’s very, very important because once you have data, you can make informed decisions.
“With data, we are able to now know that we have more people in certain areas using waterways transportation, and we need to ramp up safety in those areas and several others”.
Also speaking, chief executive officer of Interferry, Mike Corrigan said that his company visited Lagos with 12 safety experts to help LASWA improve its safety operations.