Osogbo—OSUN State Government Monday said it had begun work on a bill to ban road-side trading in the state.

Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Professor Bukola Oyawoye, explained that the bill would ensure safety of lives and engender sanity on the roads.

The commissioner said that the bill became necessary more so that women and children were mostly involved in petty trading by the road-side.

According to her, the state government is not comfortable with the rate of fatal accidents along the road side which usually involve women and children.

Oyawoye, however, clarified that the bill was not targeted at banning street trading but was simply aimed at discouraging road-side trading to save lives.

She said there was a difference between street and road-side trading, stressing that the former had no security implications as the latter.

She said: “If we ban street trading, it may deny the people of their means of livelihood without much justification but if we stop road-side trading, we shall be saving their lives.”

“Street trading is in every nook and cranny of towns and villages through which people, especially women, fend for themselves and their families.

“In case of road-side trading, the traders have no shops but only use the pedestrian lane to sell things to passers-by and motorists despite the threats of accidents.”

Oyawoye said that government would not fold its arms while road-side traders are killed through auto crashes, especially those involving articulated vehicles.

The commissioner said that by the time the road-side traders were re-located to the markets, sanity would have returned to the roads, which are currently laden with items of trade.

Although, the bill has yet to be forwarded to the State House of Assembly, Oyawoye said the ministry had begun preliminary works on it.