BY DOTUN IBIWOYE

One of the salient characteristics that distinguishes Lagos from the other mega cities of the world is that it is a place where vehicles are sold at every nooks and crannies.

Being the commercial hub of the country, several resident of Lagos have taken up jobs as car dealers without a particular market or showroom and this can be noticed by any visitor.

The ubiquitous cars available for sale can be seen at every 20 square metres in metropolis. Even the Government residential areas are not exempted.

This unregulated trade has a lot of shortcomings for a mega city without a inter-modal/multi-modal transportation system because it is causes impediments to navigation.

No matter how the government create or rejuvenate alternative roads, hundreds of thousands of cars will occupy a large portion of the limited land mass in the the coastal state.

The state government was compelled to embark on forceful evacuation of abandoned vehicles on roads in the state inspite of repeated entreaties to owners of such vehicles including the 4-litre Keg Dealers to remove them.

Over 4,300 abandoned vehicles were evacuated in the first phase of the exercise as it was evident that abandoned and disused vehicles pose very grave security, health and safety risks to the people of the state.

Who is responsible for the regulation of this trade?
There is an inter-ministerial body resonsible for the regulation of the trade. However, it is coordinated by Transport Ministry.

The state ministry of transport recently appealed to the Motor and Spare Parts Dealers to work together with the state government for a safer Auto and spare parts dealership environment in the state.

The appeal was made by the state ministry for Transportation at a stakeholders forum for Auto and auto spare parts dealers by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation, Mr.  Seyi Coker.

He stated that individual roadside sellers who are yet to register should sell their vehicles through registered members as non-compliance with the provision of the state law on registration and regulation of the activities of motor vehicle and spare parts dealers may result to use of forceful compliance

He affirmed that being a registered spare parts and auto dealers does not permit the display of vehicle on roads setbacks and other unauthorized places like sidewalks, eateries, fuel stations, bus-stops and mechanic workshops.

“Display on such premises constitutes an infringement of the State Environmental/Town Planning Laws as vehicles so displayed will be regarded as abandoned vehicle and would be towed away by enforcement teams’’, he said.

According to the World Bank, the metropolitan area of Lagos has a population estimated at between 15 and 18 million people, projected to grow to more than 25 million by 2025 and was the only mega-city without a formal public transport system prior to the launch of Bus Rapid Transport, BRT.

The World Bank further stated that Lagos population would place it as the third largest agglomeration in the world, after only Tokyo and Mumbai.

The inadequacy of the road network (low lane length in relation to population, limited number of multi-lane arterial roads, and generally poor maintenance condition), and the relatively high level of car ownership (encouraged by subsidized petrol prices and unrestricted imports of second hand cars) exacerbate the traffic congestion inherent in this form of public transport provision.

The congestion of this cars will cause more issues to the aforementioned.

Inasmuch as the law are created not implemented, everyone will continue to sell cars at their backyards unchallenged