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• Why road users now avoid them ν How touts collect rent from traders
• Enforcement agency vows to dislodge illegal occupants
By Kehinde Aderemi
Across all the great cities of the world, pedestrian bridges are meant to ease human traffic and reduce accidents. But in Lagos State, the situation is not always the same.
Recent findings have revealed that some of the pedestrian bridges in the city, constructed by the state government to ease human traffic, are now predominantly dominated by traders, beggars, and criminal elements of all shades, making it difficult for people to use them.
Many of the road-users in the state are always in serious dilemma, wondering what the state government is doing to eradicate unauthorised activities on pedestrian bridges.
At night, Lagosians are vulnerable to attacks as they climb some of the footbridges located at bus stops like that of Oshodi, 7&8 Bus Stop along the International Airport Road, Ikeja-Along, 7 Up, Ojota, Ikorodu, and other locations that are considered to be dark spots for passers-by.
Consultant to Mile 12 International Market Traders Association, Mr Femi Adesanya, expressed worry at the level of abuse of pedestrian bridges across the state. He cited the efforts being made by leadership of Mile 12 Traders’ Association in addressing the issues of trading on Kosofe bus stop footbridge.
“Selling on the footbridge to the best of my knowledge is highly prohibited in Lagos State. There are relevant agencies that take care of those social vices. One of them is the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, KAI and a few other agencies.
“They are supposed to act on their own boundaries, make sure that those vices are addressed. Trading and other commercial activities should be prohibited on pedestrian bridges so as not disturb smooth movement of passers-by.
“Everybody is aware that such things happen in Lagos. If you go to Idumota, in Lagos Island, you will see what is happening. However, for a broader look, I think the Lagos State government should try and see how it can help all these SMEs and micro traders.
“We all know that pedestrian bridges are meant for people to cross from one side of the road to the other and to avoid road accidents.
“But it is unfortunate that people at the top know the right thing and whenever people like us engage the KAI officials and tell them we don’t want this in the state, they will tell us that they are doing their utmost best to make sure they address our concerns.
“At Mile 12 International Market, sometimes, we use our internal security operatives to dislodge traders on the Kosofe pedestrian bridge. That’s what we’re doing on our own.
“The Lagos State government should also create more space, more markets, so that people can be accommodated and they wouldn’t be on the road.
“There should be more advocacy so that they know the tragedies and the problems that are associated with trading on the roadside or on the footbridge,” Adesanya stated.
In his remarks, Chief Executive Officer, M&M Icon Ventures, Mr Soji Amusan, also expressed concern over the undue influence of the Lagos urchins, popularly called Area Boys, who he described as ‘landlord of Lagos bridges.’
Amusan observed that many of the touts have found the pedestrian bridges as their home where they can do as they like, pointing out that criminal elements also use the bridges as dark spots to perpetrate their acts.
“Lagos State Government built the pedestrian bridges in order to restore sanity along Lagos roads, protect lives of commuters, reduce traffic, both human and commercial activities and also build a city that all Lagosians can be proud of.
“But it is unfortunate that criminals have taken over some of the footbridges, renting spaces that are meant for passers-by to traders and they collect levies daily from them.
“This ugly trend is not limited to only the pedestrian bridges, it also happens daily under those bridges.
“Most times, you see the touts also engaging the local government agents, telling them that they are the only custodian of the bridges and they manage the pedestrian bridges as their abode.
“Most times, road users are also afraid of using the pedestrian bridges because of the fear of being attacked, mostly at night. They resort to crossing the highways forgetting that such acts are even more dangerous.
“You cannot rule out the fact that those touts usually hide their arms and ammunition under the bridges, purposely to rob passengers at night,” he revealed.
Amusan also narrated his personal experience on a day he was returning home after the day’s work when a commercial motorcyclist was attacked under the bridge at Berger bus stop.
“It was around 10 pm, they took his Okada from him and zoomed off. They almost killed him when he tried to drag the Okada from them. You will always see them smoking and doing all sorts of things under Lagos bridges and the state government seems unperturbed.
“If all these are happening in the daylight, you can imagine what would be happening during the night,” he said.
Amusan also recalled: “During the Babatunde Fashola as Governor of Lagos State, he was able to flush them out. You will discover that enforcement was total and it was through collective efforts that the criminals were flushed out.
“But it is not the same these days. If you flush them out now, I can assure you that in the next 24 hours, they will return to their base,” he said.
Saturday Sun findings also revealed that the stretch from Ikorodu inward Ojota, a 23 kilometres road has more than eight pedestrian bridges at designated bus stops, but the bridges are hardly used for the purpose for which they were built. They include Aruna, Agric, Ogolonto, to Majidun Awori, Ajegunle, Idera, Weigh-bridge, and Kosofe.
Apart from the pedestrian bridge at Kosofe, which is notorious for commercial activities, commuters plying this route are of the opinions that the locations of most of the bridges on Lagos road do not align with the organic bus stops created by commercial bus drivers, which also points to the fact that there’s a need for a holistic evaluation of the structural design and how the bridges are sited.
Findings also show that some of the footbridges have long been abandoned because of their locations to the bus stops, and a few others have been taken over by beggars and marketers who display their wares both on the bridges and underneath the bridges.
At In Ajegunle and Owode Onirin bus stops, along the Lagos – Ikorodu stretch, road users usually cross the ExpressWay, thus creating human traffic.
A trader, Malam Yisa Abdul, told the Saturday Sun that he has been selling his wares on the Kosofe footbridge for the past two years. He said the traders usually pay daily levies of N200 each to the ‘boys’ before they can display their products on the footbridge.
“Passing through Kosofe footbridge is always stressful because the bridge is always jam-packed during the day and very dangerous at night,” a pedestrian casually said.
For instance at Ketu, the pedestrian bridge is in good shape but you hardly see passersby use the bridge.
They usually cross the Expressway, even as they see KAI officials and the Black Maria that are usually stationed at Ketu and Ojota bus stops, to ensure compliance and safety of road users.
Mr Clement Odum, a journalist and media consultant, lamented that some of the footbridges in the state are dilapidated, but added that that could be one of the reasons commuters prefer to cross the roads and face potential dangers of being run down by coming vehicles.
“You don’t use the pedestrian bridge at Oshodi, the one that is very close to the NAFDAC office at night. It is a dangerous place to be at night because hoodlums and miscreants are always on ground waiting for their unsuspecting victims.
The pedestrian bridge at 7-Up bus stop at the Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is another dark spot at night.
“Though the footbridge is okay, it is always dangerous at night. That bridge has remained an abode for criminals and they are always there to extort passersby.
“Illegal occupants converged on those bridges daily, both during the day and night with make-shift tents serving as shields from the sun in the day, and cold at night.”
He recalled that some time last year, the Lagos State government took steps to address the issue, removing touts and traders from some of the bridges.
“The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) also enforced “no trade, no sleep” rules on some of these footbridges. However, these efforts have recorded limited success, as traders and beggars often return,” he said.
Also along the Lekki-Ajah Expressway, despite the fact that many of the pedestrian bridges along the route are intended to ensure safety, considering the fact that the state government had spent millions of taxpayers money to construct and maintain these bridges, it was gathered also that road users prefer to dash across the highway instead of utilising the bridges.
Pastor Olusegun Adebiyi, a driver who plies the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, told the reporter that many of the pedestrian bridges at the newly constructed BRT lane along the road are mere waste of taxpayers’ money.
“Many of those footbridges on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway look deserted most times except for the movement of touts who usually destroy and steal items from the bridges,’ he revealed, citing examples with the bridges at Cement, Adealu and Dopemu, where commuters prefer to dash across the road rather than use the bridges.
The reporter also sought to know the reaction and efforts being taken by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps also known as KAI. Towards the end of last year, the Lagos State government vowed to arrest anyone found crossing the highway at points where there are pedestrian bridges.
Spokesperson of the corps, Lukman Ajayi, explained how the agency has been maintaining law and other on Lagos roads.
“Since the appointment of the new Corps Marshal of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (retd.), our men have been on ground across the state. Anywhere you go, you will see our men doing their job diligently.
“The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps Agency also known as Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade has been responsible for the monitoring of human traffic, enforcement of laws and other activities in public places and on Lagos footbridges,” he said.
Ajayi spoke about the various arrests made last year at Oshodi, Dopemu, Ikeja, Ikorodu Road, Ketu, and Ojota.
The spokesman also claimed that the pedestrian bridges in Lagos are 99 percent safe and that the task force and KAI work hand-in-hand to ensure that pedestrians are safe.
“Our men are always on ground to monitor and ensure safety of road users across the state”, he says even as he cited the efforts being put in place at places like Mile 12 and other areas where people engage in commercial activities on the footbridges.
According to him, the agency usually dislodge traders on the pedestrian bridges every two hours, and anybody arrested selling on the footbridge would have his or her goods confiscated.
Ajayi further explained that perishable items like pepper, bread, yam, potatoes, nuts once confiscated are taken to motherless babies home, twice in a week. He warned that in the New Year, no offenders would be spared.
“Now that the festive period is over, we will continue to ensure that there is sanity on Lagos roads and all the pedestrian bridges in the state will continue to serve the purpose for which they were constructed,” Ajayi assured.
