The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority on Sunday warned illegal traders to stop conducting businesses on roads thereby causing gridlocks on some roads in the state.
The spokesperson for the agency, Taofiq Adebayo, in a statement, said the General Manager, LASTMA, Bolaji Oreagba, gave the warning while addressing officers on the need to ensure free flow of traffic during and beyond ‘Ember months’ in the state.
Adebayo explained that the GM said the Section (1) of the Lagos State Street Trading and Illegal Markets Prohibition Law of 2003 prohibited both buyers and sellers from engaging in business activities at an unauthorised place.
The statement said, “It has become worrisome having to spend many hours in traffic caused by illegal traders on our roads, thereby creating an artificial bottleneck.
“We have to put a stop to that by ensuring that activities involving buying and selling are taken off the roads and put back into market complex designed for such.
“This warning is also meant to protect lives of illegal traders from unforseen circumstances such as accidents from reckless private or commercial truck and tanker drivers, among others.”
Oreagba, was quoted to have said that the illegal trading activities on roads persisted despite several warnings to traders to stop displaying and selling wares on main roads, medians, road- setbacks, bus-stops, and drainage alignments.
Adebayo said the GM called on market leaders to support the agency in ensuring activities of these illegal traders were put under check to make the roads free for motorists and other road users across the state.
