New Means of Transportation Within the Metropolis Are Coming Soon — Fashola

Governor Babatunde Fashola said that the long-awaited cable car and light rail transportation project for the metropolis was on the verge of completion, but he did not give a date for its completion.

Gov. Fashola made this statement at the Adeyemi Bero Audirorium, Alausa in Ikeja, Lagos, at the World Habitat Day on October 7, 2013, Monday.

The Governor stated that cable car, which is part of the Apapa model city plan, would transit between Apapa and Falomo, via Lagos Island, while describing the innovation as vital to achieving the mega city status.

He said his administration was committed to activating every means of transportation in the state in order to reduce the number of vehicles on the road, which cause unhealthy carbon emissions.

Gov. Fashola, who was represented by the Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, pledged that his administration would continue to formulate policies to improve transportation and mass movement of people, stressing that the theme of the celebration, which is Urban Mobility, was a key factor in the development of the state to a model mega city.

The Governor stated that the light rail project would be commissioned before the end of next year as it was estimated that 1.6 million Lagosians would be transported daily, which translates to 19.2 million passengers annually.

"By the end of 2014, The Blue Line should transport Lagosians from Mile 2 to Marina, a journey of about 13.5 kilometres, in the shortest possible time. We are also proud to say that the cable car; a veritable means of fast and unhindered transportation, is on the verge of completion.

"To grow the economy of our dear city of Lagos into one of the model Mega Cities in Africa, embracing the best practices in the transportation/urban mobility cannot be overlooked. Lagosians must accept this concept of transportation as safer and more economical. We must recognise that individual transportation translates to more vehicles on the roads, which translate to an unhealthy volume of carbon emissions.

"Hence, our drive to provide a combination of transportation that would include road, rail and water ways. The challenges, however, are formulating more innovative changes aimed at ensuring the sustainability of these policies."

The Governor pointed out that in the last 14 years, priority attention had been paid to the improvement of urban mobility through the development of roads, water ways and rail lines, while identifying inadequate public transportation and parking spaces, as well as congestion as contemporary challenges.

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olutoyin Ayinde said the theme of the event was not determined by the United Nations, saying that the state government was leaving nothing to chance to implement the intermodal transportation.

According to him, "our water transportation now moves about two million people daily. The cable car will take off from Apapa and link to Falomo via Lagos Island. The feasibility study is on and tests are being conducted. Soon, Lagosians would experience another transportation experience.

"The Blue line and the Red line rail projects are ongoing and will soon be completed. Lagos State is the third in the African continent to achieve urban mobility. It is gratifying to note that the state has dedicated 50 percent of the state budget to capital expenditure only, thus allowing for the provision of transport infrastructure in the state as well upgrading and expansion of the existing roads."