Lagos gives residents seven days to remove unapproved street gates

To ensure free flow of traffic, the Lagos State Government has ordered residents of the state to remove unapproved street gates in the various communities within seven days.

The state Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, said this in a statement titled, ‘LASG issues Seven-day removal notice to communities with unapproved street gates’.

The commissioner said the gates and structures installed without prior approval from the Ministry of Transportation contravened the provisions of the State Traffic Laws and Regulations.

Oladeinde said the ministry, in conjunction with Local Government and Community Affairs, has the regulatory authority on the installation of gates towards enhancing traffic management on the inner roads while protecting the lives and property of the affected communities.

The statement read in part, “In line with its policy and regulations on Traffic Management geared towards improving the free flow of traffic across the metropolis, the Lagos State Government has issued a seven-day removal notice to communities with unapproved street gates in the State, with a directive to either leave such gates open between 5am and midnight or have them dismantled.

“During the recent inspection exercise conducted by the officials of the Ministry of Transportation, it was discovered that some communities have sited gates on some inner roads to avoid vehicular movement on their streets, and this unruly act has contributed to the heavy traffic congestion currently being experienced on our roads on daily basis.

“All street gates across the State be opened between 5 am to 12 midnight. The gates must be manned by security personnel engaged by the community or residents’ association and must be opened for emergency services such as police, ambulance, and fire services at any time.”

The commissioner said the special committee set up by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation on the demolition of gated streets had begun enforcement exercise on the removal of gates in locations that failed to comply with the government’s directive on ‘Gated Streets’ regulation.