OYRTMA, Local Governments Partner On Junction Improvement

… issues stern warning on road encroachment by traders, others

The Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA) has moved to further integrate relationships with Local Government Authorities across the State in a bid to consolidate on its existing Community Traffic Management System.

This, according to the Agency, is in-line with the sustainable development agenda of the Oyo State Government under His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde.

This was revealed by the Executive Chairman, OYRTMA, Mogaji Akin Fagbemi Ph.D while playing host to the Executive Chairman, Oluyole Local Government Area, Hon. Olaide Popoola at the administrative headquarters of the Authority, Agodi, Ibadan.

He said the new step is a crucial subset of the broader Sustainable Traffic Management Initiative to ease traffic flow, reduce road crashes and enthrone sanity on all roads within the State.

Receiving the LG boss, Dr. Fagbemi assured of the commitment of OYRTMA to further expanding existing relationship with Oluyole Local Government particularly as it remains the center of several commercial and industrial hubs of the State.

“As a government agency, we are ready to expand and build on our existing relationship with all local Governments across the State particularly Oluyole because of its strategic position to economic growth in the State. If you would recall, we earlier moved our Operational Headquarters to Sanyo, Oluyole Local Government Area in a bid to entrenching our Community Traffic Management System which is central to our drive to keying in to the Sustainable development agenda of the State Government under Omituntun 2.0 led by our amiable Governor, His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde FNSE”, he said.

Speaking further, the OYRTMA Boss added, “Like we have been doing, we shall intensify advocacy/awareness campaigns to motorists and all road users in the State. Additionally, we shall enhance our enforcement operations across all LGAs in the State particularly against the indiscriminate display of wares on road corridors by adamant traders especially along Soka Junction, Eleyele-Ologuneru Road, Mokola Roundabout, Challenge, Iwo-Road and other identified spots”, Fagbemi concluded.

According to Hon. Popoola, “the continuous difficulty experienced on roads by residents of different parts of the State is majorly man-made. People are fond of disobeying extant road traffic laws, park arbitrarily and even some people taking over government roads or setbacks for private business activities.

This is not only inimical to the wellbeing of the communities but also serves as a great bane for development. A typical example is the popular Soka Junction in Oluyole Local Government where untold hardship is being melted on commuters on a daily basis as a result of indiscriminate parking by motorists, hawking and illegal road encroachment by traders as well as abuse of Government land by some individuals.

We have to step in to put a sustainable stop to this menace and the role of OYRTMA in achieving this is apparently non-negligible. We have embarked on junction improvement at Soka and the entire area is cleared of any of such encumbrances. For continuity and sustenance of compliance, enforcement operations along the axis is key and we are confident OYRTMA would double efforts in this regards”, the Oluyole LGA Chair posited.