A bus driver and his passengers were, yesterday, injured after his unpainted commercial bus, FKJ 366 XT, rammed into a loaded containerised trailer on outer Marina Road.
They were, however, rescued by operatives of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), to a nearby hospital, reports The Guardian.
Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, LASTMA, Mr Adebayo Taofiq, said the accident occurred at about 7:02 a.m. on outer Marina Road as a result of over-speeding, which led to a brake failure.
He said: “Immediately the accident happened, our personnel who were along the axis, moved to the scene to rescue the occupants of the trapped commercial bus- driver and passengers- with the support of sympathetic road users.”
Adebayo confirmed that police officers from the Lion Building led by Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) provided security backup, while the rescue operations lasted.
According to LASTMA’ Ashafa Moyosore (Zebra 1, Olowu), who led the rescue operation, all rescued passengers, including the driver, were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
Commenting, General Manager, LASTMA, Mr Bolaji Oreagba, warned motoring public, particularly commercial bus drivers, to exercise caution, restraint, and adhere to speed limit while driving on Lagos roads.
Meanwhile, the agency on Wednesday played host to top management officials of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYSRTMA), who were on a learning-tour on effective and efficient traffic management in Lagos.
Oreagba, while welcoming them to his office, informed the visitors that the primary purpose for the establishment of the agency in year 2000, by the then administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was to transform the State’s transportation system and to ensure free flow of traffic and reduction in road incidents across the State.
He disclosed that to properly manage and control traffic in Lagos, the agency operates an efficient operational guideline with a viable structure that is enhanced by Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law (2018).
According to him, the deployment of modern technology was to aid efficient service delivery of LASTMA. Earlier in his address, the Chief Executive Officer, OYSRTMA, Major Adekoya Adesagba (Retd), said their visit to LASTMA headquarters was to understudy mode of operation, how offenders were captured and data generated, to be replicated in Oyo State.