Traffic Jam: OYRTMA Impounds 50 Obstructing Vehicles

In a move to sanitise Oyo state highways and ensure free flow of traffic, the Oyo State Road Transport Management Agency (OYRTMA) has impounded fifty vehicles at the popular Iwo-Road, along Lagos-Ibadan Highway in Ibadan North Local Government in Ibadan.

Several heavy-duty vehicles were indiscriminately parked along the road, causing huge obstruction to free vehicular movement along the corridor and paralyzing economic activities around the area.

The trailers were taken to the agency’s headquarters in the State secretariat at Agodi to allow free flow of traffic.

Addressing the drivers of the impounded vehicles, the Chairman of OYRTMA, Dr. Akin Fagbemi, who led the team said the present administration in the state was not out to make life unbearable for the people but to do all within the ambit of the law to woo foreign direct investors through creation of enabling environment devoid of avoidable and perpetual traffic jams.

“You may recall that we recently announced the approval by the governor for immediate use of a 250-trucks capacity parking space at our Sanyo operational center. While frantic efforts are on to secure other parking spaces across the State, we implore all heavy duty vehicle operators to utilize the available park and desist from indiscriminate parking on the highways as this is highly inimical to other road users as well as the fact that it cripples economic activities within the State.

“This operation is not to witch-hunt anybody. We are aware of the technical implications of the continuous parking of this heavy-duty vehicles whose imposing weights far supersedes that of the designed load-carrying capacity of the highways thus destroying the roads by creating portholes at different sections of the highways. 

“We therefore enjoin all trailer operators within the State to cooperate with the State Government to achieve free flow of traffic across the 33 local government areas of the State.” Dr. Fagbemi explained.

The state government had about a week ago announced the approval of 250 trucks capacity parking space to de-congest highways within the Ibadan metropolis as a response to prayers from business concerns in the city for government to find a lasting solution to the traffic menace. 

Iyabo Adebisi