THE Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, has said that the growing number of motorcycles, tricycles and bicycle riders is responsible for the increase in the number of road traffic crashes in cities.
Oyeyemi, who made this known in Abuja when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum, noted that the recent influx of motorcycles and tricycle riders was as a result of the aftermath of the #EndSARS protest.
According to him, most state governments have outlawed them in the urban areas and as such they were moved to the fringes of the towns.
“Almost all the state governments have outlawed them in the urban areas, they were moved to the fringes. I was involved in that of FCT by the minister of FCT but after the #EndSARS, there was lawlessness, disobedience.
“Because if you look at what the law says, when people talk about the rule of law the first question is what does the law says, what does the traffic rules and regulation says about this.
“Combine that with the highway code. On expressways, bicycles, motorcycles and tricycle are not supposed to be on the expressway. Like Abuja here, most of the roads are expressway and on expressway, you are not supposed to have bicycles, motorcycles, tricycle.
“ So the minister took a bold decision and confined them to the fringes but the EndSARS brought back this lawlessness and action is being taken again.’’
Oyeyemi said that dislodging the motorcycles and tricycles riders from urban areas had helped to reduce crashes on the road.
He, therefore, said that proactive measures would be put in place to ensure that they get back to the fringes and as well stop them from causing chaos in the city.
“ When Lagos confined them three, four years ago, I think Opeifa was the commissioner for transportation then, road traffic crashes dropped by 70 per cent, the data are there.
“This category you observed are major contributors to increase in road traffic crashes.
“The way they cross the road, the way they keep to the fast lane and the lawlessness comes in when there is a small crash involving them.
“ The level of violence they display whether you are right or wrong, they will damage, vandalise your car if they don’t kill you.
“Our personnel have been victims in the course of enforcing safety on the road, they are very lawless.
” But now, proactive measures are being taken to compel them to go back to the fringes where they belong because I have been raising alarm about increase in road traffic crashes.
”And I am happy all what it needed to be done must be done with other agencies to ensure they comply,” he said.
He, therefore, pledged the government's commitment to tackle the influx of the riders in order to reduce crashes on the road.
