By Jude Njoku

Messrs Lekki Concession Company Limited, the concessionaire handling the 49 kilometre Lekki -Epe expressway said last week that it has mapped out strategies to make the road safer for motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. A statement signed by Veronica Jacobs explained that making the road safe is a key element in encouraging the people to use the road more efficiently.

Noting that significant achievements in road safety are the result of the best engineering practices in terms of research, design, maintenance and operation, the company stated that “these have been made possible by LCC on the Eti-Osa Lekki Toll road, where the collected revenues will be directly allocated in order to make the road infrastructure safer, convenient and more efficient. LCC has and will continue to work hard to create the necessary awareness for road safety” .

Rising from the quarterly Incident Management Systems , IMS’ workshop, the 6th in the series involving IMS committee partners from Nigerian Police, Lagos State Transport Management Authority , LASTMA, Federal Roads Safety Commission, FRSC , and other key stakeholders, the company said it will create a seamless 24/7 365 days a year incident and accident emergency response scheme for road users on the Eti-Osa Lekki Toll Road. LCC also used the forum to discuss the upcoming 2011 “Safety First” road safety awareness campaign action plan to be launched soon. Some of the “Safety First” initiatives LCC has already implemented to help improve road safety along the axis, according to Jacobs, include programmes to help educate school administrators and students on how to safely use the road.

For example, the beautification project at Ikota Primary School completed in 2010, included installation of traffic/road signs and markings in the school premises, to help the school children begin to understand what they mean. Another example of such initiatives is LCC’s route patrols working 24/7, routinely patrolling Km 1 – 17 of the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway, with ad hoc support provided outside this area when needed.