Lagos State Police Command has directed all Area Commands in the state, to set up a special Task Force unit to enforce the 2012 Lagos State Traffic Rules which prohibits driving against traffic, riding motorcycles on restricted routes or illegal use of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes across the state.
The Task Force comprises the Police and other security agencies, to arrest violators for immediate prosecution.
At an emergency meeting on the enforcement order with the 14 Area Commanders and Heads of Department in the command, which took place at the Conference Room, State Headquarters, GRA Ikeja on Sunday, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, said the command will not compromise in the enforcement of traffic rules in the state.
The CP urged Lagosians to obey traffic rules as such will assist tremendously in managing the traffic situation in the state; while he charged all traffic management agencies to the task of due enforcement of the traffic rules (orders) in the state. Vanguard News Nigeria
What are the 2012 Lagos Traffic Rules?
The law was signed by the then Governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola.
Main kernels of the law:
“Some of the items contained in the new state Road Traffic Law, are the restriction of trailer movement in the state to within the hours of 6am and 9pm as well as the ban on okada on bridges with their activities prohibited on 443 routes in the state. Smoking, pinging on phones, eating, making calls and other dangerous acts while driving are offensive to the new state traffic law.
The new Road Traffic Law stipulates that driving in a direction prohibited by the road traffic law, that is driving against traffic, popularly known as one-way driving now attract a three year jail term, while a first offender gets one year term and the vehicle forfeited to the state government. Bullion vans are not exempted from the law as any bullion van that is driven in a direction prohibited by the road traffic law will be forfeited, while abandoned vehicles on highway will be fined N50,000 or three years imprisonment, or both fine and imprisonment.
Schedule (1) section (2) of traffic offences and penalties states that a first time offender who rides a motor-cycle against traffic and riding on the kerb, median or road setbacks, will be fined N20,000, while a subsequent offender will pay N30,000 or the rider’s motor-cycle will be impounded.
Smoking while driving will attract N20,000; failure to give way to traffic on the left at a roundabout N20,000; disobeying traffic control will be N20,000; while violation of route by commercial vehicles will attract N20,000. Riding motor-cycle without crash helmet for rider and passenger will attract N20,000 or three years imprisonment or both.
The law also prohibited under aged persons- under 18 years old, from riding a motorcycle with fine of N20,000. Operating a motor-cycle in a restricted area on or prohibited route will be fined N20,000 or the motor-cycle impounded.
In schedule II, section (4) lists prohibited routes for motorcycles and tricycle. The highways include Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki; Lagos-Ikorodu; Lagos-Abeokuta, Babangida Boulevarde way. Others are Eti-Osa Lekki Epe expressway, Funsho Williams avenue, Agege motor road and Eti-Osa-Lekki coastal road.
