The Lagos State Government has debunked the allegation that it has banned the operations of tricycles and motorcycles popularly known as ‘KEKE MARWA’ and ‘OKADA’ respectively.
Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, who said this in his office at Alausa, Ikeja, added that there has never been any time that the state government had announced that it had banned tricycle or motorcycles in the state.
He said that Section 3 of the Lagos Road Traffic Law 2012 stipulates that ‘No person shall ride, drive or propel a cart, wheel barrow, motorcycle or tricycle on any of the routes specified in Schedule 11 of this Law’. According to him, motorcycles and tricycles were only ‘RESTRICTED’ on 475 roads out of 9100 roads in the state including highway and bridges.
Opeifa said that tricycles and the use of unpainted vehicles were of recent, restricted on Victoria Island, Government Reserved Area (GRA) Ikeja and Ikoyi due to request from residents as a result of the threat that tricycles and unpainted vehicles posed on the residents of the area and the increase in the number of armed robbery attacks.
Opeifa who said that the restriction is well known to tricycle operators in the state, urged them to disregard the rumour and continue their operations in unrestricted areas in accordance with the Law.
He appealed to those behind the rumour who are out to cause disaffection in the state to desist from such acts as the Lagos State Government will continue to ensure the safety and security of the people.
It would be recalled that the Lagos State Government restricted the operations of motorcycles and tricycles in the state following series of meetings held with the transport unions in the state and the eventual signing of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law by Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN on Tuesday, August 2, 2012.
