The Lagos State Public Works Corporation has advised residents and road users to desist from activities that undermine the longevity of the roads and, in effect, the agency's pursuit of ‘Zero Tolerance for Potholes by 2012'.
The agency's boss, Gbenga Akintola, while supervising the repair of Jobi-Fele road in Ikeja, said that the recent upbeat activities of the agency will be sustained to meet the 2012 deadline. "The governor (Babatunde Fashola) has declared a zero tolerance for potholes and we are working, even at night, to achieve this by 2012," he said. "But we cannot succeed if road users do not cooperate with us to protect the roads. If you consider one truck, it may not make sense but when you consider the fact that all tankers lifting petroleum products come to Lagos and that we have the busiest airport and seaports, you will realise that Lagos roads are subjected to undue pressures now than ever."
Spoiling the roads
Mr Akintola, therefore, appealed to operators of trucks and tankers to stop overloading their vehicles because the state government may be forced to take a deterrent strategy. He also mentioned "indiscriminate burning of tyres and other items on the road, illegal road cutting, dumping of refuse in drains, spillage of petroleum products on the roads, pouring of waste water on the road" as other human activities that can undermine the agency's effort. "Asphalt and water do not see eye-to-eye but many roadside food vendors pour their waste water on the road on daily basis; and this, in the long run, damages that portion of the road," he said. "This is why we use interlocking stone for potholes in water prone areas."
Mr Akintola said the agency has so far repaired 168 roads and it currently operates on 23 locations across the state. "If Ikorodu Road is bad and Jobi-fele is also bad, you will agree with me that Ikorodu Road has higher priority," he said when asked what factor determines which road gets repaired before others.
However, in addition to the database of roads in custody of the agency, he advised Lagos residents to interact with the agency through its website and hotlines to register a bad road. "Although our priority is on state roads but we have ongoing partnership relationships with some local governments that enable us repair their roads," he said. "So, Lagosians should feel free to notify us of any bad road they notice."
He also advised federal government agencies, responsible for maintaining federal highways, to ensure efficient service. "Normally, we should not be working on Ikorodu Road but we have had to repair that road several times, especially after the flood because our people are complaining," he said. "Meanwhile, the federal government has approved a contract to repair that road and the contract is not executed."
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