Olatawura Ladipo-Ajayi, Lagos Community Manager
In 2004, an estimated 5,000 lives were lost from road crashes on Nigerian motorways. This number more than tripled in 2006, with an estimated 16,000 people killed as a result of road crashes. Low awareness of road safety among road users (pedestrians and motorists), and poor road conditions are some critical factors responsible for these avoidable fatalities. The city of Lagos is crawling with millions of people, the majority of whom travel on foot. Recently, there has been more emphasis on keeping city pedestrians safe from harm’s way by improving road safety rules and infrastructure.
Recently, the State Government has been building pedestrian bridges all over the city, replacing worn-out bridges and constructing bridges in new areas. For instance, the old ones at Ojota, Palmgrove, and Onipanu have all been rebuilt. Similarly, new ones have been built at Gbagada, Lekki Roundabout, Cement bus stop, Ijaiye bus stop, Iddo, Loco, Igbobi, Ile-Epo and Secretariat bus stops. The city of Lagos built footbridges for high-risk areas and expresses ways to safeguard pedestrians against accidents and to further encourage safe city walking.
In addition to refurbishing and providing more pedestrian bridges across highways in the city, focus is also being placed on sidewalks, to allow pedestrians to walk safely around the city, off of vehicle lanes. More and more sidewalks can be seen, especially near busy roadways, and sidewalks that were previously being used for other activities have been cleared out.
Great efforts have been put into road signs and zebra pedestrian crossings at heavy traffic areas of the city, such as the Ikeja metropolis. The Arrive Alive Road Safety Initiative is putting on awareness campaigns on road safety and pedestrian safety. The initiative is focused on sensitizing city residents about the importance of road safety, ranging from safety engineering and road improvement, to motorcycle safety and pedestrian safety campaigns. Campaigns targeted towards pedestrians advocate for the appropriate use of safety features such as the zebra crossing, the correction and installation of road signs, and effective navigation of roadways.
While the city is becoming a safer place to walk in, pedestrians are clamouring for the construction of more foot bridges. The request in itself shows that the state’s efforts are successfully assuring residents of its ability to provide a safe walking environment in Lagos. Constructions are underway, and hopefully sooner than later the state will address areas of the city where pedestrians are requesting for pedestrian bridges, such as the Berger area. It is also hoped that more pedestrians will take advantage of the infrastructure already put in place to assure their safety.
Photo credit: Smiling designs and Wayan Vota