Lagosians are worried about the indiscriminate parking of vehicles on streets in most parts of the metropolis to the detriment of other road users.
Although the practice runs counter to the state’s building regulations, it has become a norm in various parts of the metropolis. The Guardian gathered that many landlords no longer make provisions for car parks. In addition to vehicles being parked indiscriminately on streets, a lot of abandoned vehicles are also left on the streets, leaving a very narrow space for other road users to struggle.
Many times, motorists are compelled to wait for one another to pass and in cases where the drivers throw caution to the wind and both of them want to pass at the same time, it often leads to chaos.
This deplorable state is also compounded by some mechanics who also take advantage of this attitude to occupy parts of roads.The Guardian investigations showed that the attitude was common in Mushin, Isolo, Ilasa, Somolu and Oshodi. It is also a norm in Agege Local Government Area as well as Mosan Okunola Local Council Development Area.
A tenant at Agege, Francis, said many landlords no longer create spaces for their tenants to pack their vehicles. He said: “The reason is that some landlords manage the land which they put up in their buildings and for them to have enough space for either flats or rooms, they have to manage the space.
“To wait for landlords to do the needful would be a waste of time because looking inside many houses, the space is not there.
“That notwithstanding, I would say that it is also necessary for landlords to comply with the idea of providing space for their tenants to park because at times, those car owners are at the receiving end when vandals operate.
“So, the problem is not just that of road users alone, but also that of even the car owners who park on the roads.
“So, it is logical for landlords to create space for their tenants’ vehicles inside the building,” he said.
“If every landlord and lady could emulate my landlady, we would see less cars and vehicles on the streets,” he said. But the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Legislative Matters, Agege Local Government, Mr Sanjo Sanyaolu, who spoke on behalf of the chairman, Kolawole Ganiyu Egunjobi, said the chairman had constituted a committee involving youths, CDAs, Baales and address of the council to sanitise the issue of indiscriminate parking on the street.
When The Guardian also visited Mosan Okunola Local Council and Development Area, a person who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “To my knowledge, the state government has taken the issue of traffic from the local council and any local council official who takes it upon himself to intervene in the issue under discussion would be arrested.“The council engineer, who was not also permitted to speak on the matter, corroborated the claim.” (Guardian)