Lagos Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, said the much-anticipated Red Line Mass transit train is now ready and will be commissioned on February 29, 2024.

Sanwo-Olu made the disclosure while speaking at the Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA) Stakeholders Forum 2024, which took place at GRA, Ikeja, saying that the inauguration would be done by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Governor Sanwo-Olu reiterated that the Red Line, which runs from Agbado in Ogun State and terminates at Oyingbo, is one of the integrated mass transit corridors in the state in line with his administration’s THEME Agenda.

Speaking at the day’s event, Sanwo-Olu said the Lagos State Parking Policy, which came into being with the establishment of the Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA) was to regulate all forms of parking by adopting innovative, adaptable, and sustainable operational system and technologies, declaring that his administration was intentional and unrelenting in its efforts to address all traffic issues in the state by identified indiscriminate parking as one of the major challenges to the free flow of traffic.

The governor said, to this end, a model that ensures a win-win situation between the state and local governments had been adopted, adding that with such approach “Lagos has already shown that this kind of State—LGA partnership can work, through the establishment of LASAA, and through the Land Use Charge, and we are now set to showcase the same with the Lagos State Parking Authority.”

“Therefore, the Local Governments in Lagos State, under the Conference 57 umbrella, and Mr. Kolade Alabi, the National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), are our strategic partners in this renewed effort to regulate parking across the state,” the governor said.

On-Street parking scheme, Governor Sanwo-Olu said his government had approved it to regulate the existing roadside parking and checkmate haphazard parking in line with global best practices.

According to him, the scheme, as with most of our projects, is being done in partnership with the private sector, saying that the government would continue to explore the Public Private Partnership model in order to benefit from its effectiveness in delivering high-quality service to meet the needs of the increasing population in the state.

“The On-Street parking scheme will be operated under a well-designed and systematic module managed by concessionaires, and will be regulated by Lagos State Parking Authority. It is expected to be a win-win for both the government and residents of the state,” he assured.

Sanwo-Olu urged all stakeholders in the sector to comply with the Lagos State Parking Policy, reiterating his administration’s zero-tolerance policy for the flouting of rules and regulations guiding the state’s transport sector.

The LASPA General Manager, Mrs Adebisi Adelabu, in her welcome address, said parking management was on the centre stage in the actualization of meeting the target of traffic management of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration.

This was just as she noted that existing data shows that over 1.2 million registered vehicles ply Lagos city roads, with about 224 vehicles per kilometer of road space for a population of over 24 million people.

Besides, she recalled that recent statistics from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) revealed that there were over 13 million vehicles on Nigeria roads, adding that Interestingly, more than 2 million were here in Lagos, with the state record showing that over 18,000 vehicles were registered in January alone.

“Existing data shows that over 1.2 million registered vehicles ply the roads of this city, with about 224 vehicles per kilometer of road space for a population of over 24 million people.

“A recent statistic from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) reveals that there are over 13 million vehicles on Nigeria roads. Interestingly, more than 2 million are here in Lagos. It might also interest you to note that over 18,000 vehicles were registered in Lagos in January alone.

“All of the aforementioned data goes further to justify the importance of regulating parking by providing a sustainable and efficient Parking management system.

“Across the world and in most metropolitan cities, parking is a strategic tool in traffic management. And we aim to ensure our efforts to address all parking issues are successful thereby positioning Lagos State as a leading light amongst other cities, when it comes to parking management,” Adelabu said.

“So far, we have identified over 20,000 setbacks suitable for parking across the state and more than 13,000 are already in use, while works are ongoing to identify more,” she added.