BY KINGSLEY ADEGBOYE

LAGOS— A 40-foot shipping container, yesterday morning, fell off a truck and landed on a white bus, thereby causing a serious traffic gridlock at the ever busy Toyota-Ladipo bus stop en route Murtala Muhammed  International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Scene of the accident, yesterday.

The accident that occurred around 9 am caused a traffic snarl that backed up beyond Iyana Isolo.
Bystanders at the scene of the accident, who were mostly traders at the popular Ladipo spear parts market in Mushin Local Government Area, said no casualty was recorded.

Some of the traders who witnessed the accident told our correspondent that impatience on the part of the bus driver caused the container to fall on it.

According to an eyewitness, Mr. Chris Nwokolo, “impatience of our drivers is always the cause of most of the accidents recorded on our roads. Everybody wants to go at the same time, but at the end of the day, nobody will go. That is exactly what happened in this case.

“If the bus driver had exercised patience and allowed the truck carrying the container to go with ample space between them, he would not have been involved in the accident.
“People are being knocked down at the bus stop daily because of impatience of motorists who have no regard for driving rules.

“For instance, Oshodi-bound motorists will be on the service lane up to Toyota bus stop. At the bus stop, they will now be negotiating their way through to the expressway, thereby obstructing free flow of traffic for those going to Airport Road.

Another eye witness, Mr. Ifeanyi Izu, who said the driver of the bus with a load was coming from Ladipo market inward Airport road blamed the driver for being in a hurry, pointing out that if he had given the truck driver enough space, he would have been able to avoid the container.

Explaining the busy nature of Toyota-Ladipo bus stop because it leads to Murtala Muhammed  International Airport, Izu noted that there was hardly a day without an accident happening on the spot. He also said pedestrians are knocked down almost on daily basis there.

He, therefore, suggested that a pedestrian bridge at the spot would save pedestrians from being knocked down by vehicles.