All illegal car parks will be closed to ensure safety — FCT Minister

The Minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammed Bello, says all illegal car parks would be closed to ensure safety in FCT.

Bello said this during an advocacy visit to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) headquarters on Friday in Abuja.

He said that Abuja had gone beyond earlier expectation of the plan in terms of influx of vehicles.

“Criminality has increased just like vehicles have increased in FCT. Therefore, all illegal motor parks will be closed to ensure safety.

”Designated areas for tricycles will be highly restricted. Keke will only be allowed in estates. They will be banned in Asokoro and Life Camp.

“All these are in the laws but they are not being implemented and we would have to start implementing them.

”Advocacy will be carried out. With advocacy, additional pedestrian bridges would be created,” he said.

The Corps Marshal FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, says colour-coding taxis would address the one-chance robbery incidence in FCT.

Boboye said this while presenting the proposal for “towards improving road traffic management in FCT.

He said that the use of unpainted vehicles for taxi and accompanying security risks was one of the identified challenges bedeviling Road Traffic Management.

“The FCT is one of the international gate-ways to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As the capital city and seat of power, Abuja is host to foreign missions, international personalities and business interest.

“The political, economic and administrative activities are of strategic importance to the nation which necessitate influx of people with relative increase in road traffic volume.

”The city is currently bedeviled with traffic congestion arising from non compliance to road traffic regulations by some motor vehicle operators as well as other road users.

“FRSC would team up to make Abuja a model. FCT has the highest vehicle registration presently after taking over from Lagos.

“One of the countermeasures is to engage the Unions to paint their taxis to approved FCT colours and fix taxi overhead lamp on vehicles within one week.

“Also engagement of the taxi unions to move to approved designated motor parks within one week,” he said.

Boboye said that the success of the initiative could best be carried out with requisite personnel and logistics support hence the need to provide security back up.

“Light tow trucks, vehicles, bikes and personnel. Monitoring to ensure compliance would also help to counter this menace,” he said.

The corps marshal said that the need to ensure that commercial vehicles are registered and carry “Taxi” sign and coded was necessary.

“The proposed plan of action if facilitated, would not only make Abuja city devoid of traffic indiscipline as currently prevalent, but also enhance the aesthetic value of the city,” he said. (NAN)