Mile 2-Apapa Highway Gridlock: Police, LASTMA, FRSC, Others Helpless

***Residents, motorists blame container terminals for worsening traffic jam

***Terminal operator cites limited space, port restrictions

***We’re working with stakeholders to curb Mile 2 traffic— NPA lNSC absolves self from gridlock

LAGOS — RESIDENTS, motorists and business owners along the Berger/Kirikiri corridor, yesterday, blamed the worsening traffic congestion on the Mile 2-Apapa expressway on the proliferation of container terminals in the area, saying the facilities have become the major source of the persistent gridlock.

The gridlock, yesterday, left thousands of commuters stranded for hours, with many abandoning their journeys and returning home.

An auto dealer, Ekene Iruanya, described the container terminals as the primary cause of the perennial congestion, saying the traffic situation deteriorated after the facilities commenced operations.

According to him, trucks transporting empty containers to the terminals frequently occupy the road, creating bottlenecks despite the presence of traffic management officials.

Iruanya said: “There is nothing else causing this traffic other than the terminals opposite the Catholic Church. Before they came here, this road was free. Today, you have three different terminals receiving containers and all the trucks are heading there.”

Police, LASTMA, FRSC, others helpless

He added that personnel of the Nigerian Navy; Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA; Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC and other security agencies are regularly deployed to control traffic in the area, but their efforts have yielded little improvement because of the volume of trucks.

He called on the government to reconsider the location of the terminals, arguing that relocating or shutting them down would significantly ease congestion along the road leading to Kirikiri, the Nigerian Correctional Service facilities and the Naval Barracks.

Responding to the allegations, a representative of one of the container terminal operators denied that the facility alone was responsible for the traffic, noting that several terminals within the corridor receive containers.

The official explained that the terminal currently receives only empty containers and has become busier because other facilities handling similar cargo are no longer operating at full capacity.

Why the terminal is congested

“For now, we are the only ones receiving these empty containers while other terminals are not functioning fully. That is why the place is congested. We don’t even have enough space inside the terminal because everywhere is filled with empty containers,” the official, who spoke in confidence, said.

He explained that the containers cannot be returned directly to the ports because port authorities only accept specified volumes at a time, making bonded terminals necessary holding areas.

According to him, the terminal receives between 150 and 200 empty containers daily but only accepts new deliveries after previously stored containers have been evacuated to the ports.

He also maintained that many of the trucks contributing to the traffic are not owned by the terminal, explaining that they belong to independent transport operators bringing containers from different locations.

The official suggested that stricter traffic management could help improve the situation.

“If the trucks are properly lined up on one lane by the security agencies, there will be free movement. The problem is when they are parked indiscriminately on different parts of the road,” he said.

He added that the evacuation of containers from the terminal is largely determined by port allocations, which specify the number of containers to be returned daily.

We’re working with stakeholders to curb Mile 2 traffic —NPA

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, said it was collaborating with relevant stakeholders and law enforcement agencies to address the recurring traffic congestion along the Mile 2-Apapa port corridor.

The assurance came amid massive gridlock caused by tanker trucks and container-laden vehicles lining the Mile 2 axis and stretching towards Apapa, leaving commuters stranded for hours.

Speaking on the development, NPA spokesman, Ikechukwu Onyemechara, said government agencies have put measures in place to ensure swift intervention whenever traffic challenges arise on port access roads.