Vincent Toritseju
15 July 2017, Sweetcrude, Lagos — THE Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, has said that if the nation’s transit system is upgraded with good roads and facilities, it will increase Nigeria’s global Economic performance index and attract more investors for wealth creation and Economic development.
Speaking at the on going “Establishment, Management and Operations of Truck Transit Parks”, Head of the Commission, Corp Marshall Boboye Oyeyemi said that the country has lost huge human capital resources and billions of naira worth of cargoes on transit due to crashes relating to poor logistics arrangement.
He explained that transport is a critical determinant in the conduct of domestic and international trade with great impacts on national economic growth and development.
According to the Commission boss, the safety, quality, cost, and efficiency of transport services influence the trading environment and the competitiveness of export goods on the international market as well as the cost of imported goods.
He said “In Nigeria today, Road Transportation is the dominant mode of transportation owing to challenging rail system, restricted water way, and expensive air travel. Road Transportation accounts for about 90% of freight movement. Therefore, the safety of Cargo on the highway must be given a priority.
“The concept of truck Transit Parks is a modern contemporary world order of road transportation, designed for the safety of Cargo and standardization of Truck Driving.
“A Truck Transit Park (TTP) is a very important modern road infrastructure. TTP is a public rest area located off the road, designed to provide temporary rest location for drivers. It is primarily intended for short-term safety breaks and also long term services in high-used corridors.
“The aim of the Transit Truck Parks is to ensure that Truck operators obtain some measure of safety comfort while on Transit and also reduce the rate of Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) among articulated vehicles on the road.
“The nation has lost huge human capital resources and billions of naira worth of cargoes on transit due to crashes relating to poor logistics arrangement particularly driving fatigue due to nonavailability of rest areas/Truck Transit Parks. Free flow of traffic is also impeded in the areas where these trucks are illegally parked”.
He, however, suggested that Ministries Departments and Agencies, MDAs and stakeholders should synergize and put efforts and resources together for the establishment of well designed, constructed and operated Truck Transit Parks in Nigeria for the safety of lives and properties.
