Much ado about BRT (Part 2)

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Despite advice and warnings to the contrary, the Lagos State Government is hell bent on putting a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane on Ikorodu Road in Lagos State. And unlike the attempt at a BRT lane on the 3rd Mainland Bridge, this one will have a physical barrier to prevent other motorists from using the lane. But just like burglary proofing, this barrier will also prevent LAGBUS buses from leaving the lane as well.

Obviously not well thought out, a single flat tyre on one bus will hold up all the other buses coming behind it. This seems simple enough to fathom and foresee but someone in Government House is not thinking this through. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, this is a good idea on paper but as with most things Nigerian it is not being properly executed.

Ikorodu Road has only three lanes on most sections so taking out one lane will leave the rest of us with only two lanes. Peradventure a trailer breaks down in the middle of the road, this will create the ever present Lagos traffic snarl. Just the other day, a rickety vehicle was trying to avoid the main lanes' traffic and decided to take the BRT lane. As expected, the car overheated and prevented other vehicles from going past (these vehicles were also illegally taking the BRT lane). I just hope we won't point at the BRT lane one day and laugh saying "remember BRT" the same way we now do with the City Bus scheme.

For now, the mad traffic continues!