UNILAG proffers e-solution to Apapa traffic gridlock

A team of researchers at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Akoka, has come up with an electronic solution to the perennial traffic gridlock daily encountering by the road users at Apapa Seaport axis of Lagos.

The three-man team comprises Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, who is a former vice chancellor of the university; Dr Ladi Ogunwolu and Dr Adeyanju Sosimi, all from the Department of System Engineering of the university.

The research work tagged: “A conceptual e-control approach to the Apapa traffic gridlock,” earned the eggheads the first prize award at the just concluded 13th annual research conference and fair organised by the university with about 544 participants from various universities and polytechnics in and outside Nigeria, in attendance.

Speaking to Tribune online on Wednesday about the research, Prof Ibidapo-Obe said the team with Dr Ogunwolu as the leader, was convinced that the research effort would work effectively by bringing the vehicular traffic jam in the axis to almost zero if turned into a reality and implemented as specified.

According to him, what the truck operators need to do is to first book ahead electronically wherever they are before coming to the transit park where they will get clearance permit to proceed to the loading point and that each stage will depend on the volume of trucks on the queue at a time.

And the entire process, he added, would be carried out online.

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Ibidapo-Obe, a former President of Nigerian Academy of Science, said by that, every driver would know when and where to go rather than to park their vehicles indiscriminately on the roads for several days and other road users would also have unhindered movement.

He explained that though, the project would cost a huge amount of money, especially as regards the transit parks, it is worth doing to avoid unnecessary loss of man hours on the road.

He said the university was already engaging the government to key into the e-approach as an effective and permanent solution to the traffic problem in the axis and not by constructing multiple lanes.

Prof Ibidapo-obe also said the private sector could equally finance the project especially through a dedicated company for what he called infrastructure optimisation.

He emphasised that this e-solution would be the most effective way to bring sanity on the road in the axis.