Emmanuel lkpeama
The Lagos State Government has launched a strict enforcement campaign targeting articulated vehicles and heavy-duty trucks violating restrictions on the Third Mainland Bridge.
This move aims to ensure public safety, preserve infrastructure, and enforce traffic regulations.
Investigator news reports that over 10 heavy-duty trucks were impounded during the initial operation over the weekend.
Honourable Sola Giwa, Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, announced the enforcement operation, stating that it follows a period of stakeholder engagement and public sensitization.
“The Third Mainland Bridge is categorically excluded from the list of permissible routes for some articulated vehicles.”
“This restriction is clearly enshrined in the law, and non-compliance will be met with decisive sanctions. Officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have begun a full-scale enforcement operation, and defaulters will be apprehended and penalized without exemption,” he asserted.
He stated that despite previous warnings, some operators have continued to flout the directives, endangering lives and the bridge’s structural integrity stating that articulated vehicles above 9 tonnes are prohibited from traversing the Third Mainland Bridge.”
“The deployment of these technologically advanced monitoring tools is a critical component of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s broader strategy to entrench road safety, prevent structural fatigue, and engender responsible driving behaviour—particularly on high-risk corridors such as this bridge,”
“Pursuant to prevailing traffic statutes and regulatory frameworks promulgated by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, the movement of articulated trucks and similar heavy vehicular platforms across select bridges—especially during peak operational hours—remains expressly prohibited. This policy is aimed at averting structural overstrain, minimizing accident potential, and alleviating traffic bottlenecks.”he noted
According to Giwa,the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) is leading the enforcement operation as high definition speed enforcement cameras have been deployed to monitor vehicular compliance.
He issued a stern admonition to stakeholders within the logistics and freight sectors including fleet operators and articulated vehicle owners to comply unequivocally with the designated traffic matrix and legally prescribed operational corridors. He warned that any continued infraction, whether by ignorance or wilful defiance, will attract the full weight of legal reprisal.
“The period of indulgence is over. Ample sensitization has been undertaken, and as the regulatory position is unambiguous.
“Any truck operator found flouting the prohibition will have their vehicle impounded immediately, and appropriate sanctions will be enforced in line with the law,” he declared.
Giwa opined that the enforcement initiative is part of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s broader strategy to promote road safety and responsible driving behaviour.
Investigator news gathered that the Lagos State Government urges stakeholders within the logistics and freight sectors to comply with the designated traffic matrix and legally prescribed operational corridors as this initiative is part of the State’s comprehensive traffic reform agenda, encapsulated within the THEMES+ policy architecture
