Thursday, March 24, 2011

Over 170, 000 travel by water every day – LASWA

THE Lagos State Waterways Authority LASWA has completed the ridership exercise on users of water transport in the state and disclosedthat  more than 175,000 commuters use the water ways on a daily basis.
Disclosing this to Vanguard in Lagos recently, Director of operations of  LASWA, Mr Segun Adekoya said that the authority has to carry out the exercise with a view to making projections water transport in  the future.
He stated every  every boat and the number of passengers  carried were  counted at the point of loading adding that the numbers of boats and jetties were also put into consideration in the course of the exercise.
Adekoya stated that the authority was happy with the number of people that ply the waters every day, noting that with the figure, the authority has an idea of where they are likely to make adjustment and expansion of facilities  in the future.
“In Lagos we have about 170,000 commuter using the water ways every day and this is because of the quality of leadership the authority is currently providing.
“The provision of infrastructure and other facilities to aid water transport are  increasing and are  up dated to meet the challenges we encounter every day.
“With the current trend in the use of water transport the facilities in Ikorodu, Badore, Ijede, Bayeku, Langbasa, and Aja  needs to expanded because we also discovered majority of the commuters come to the Island”. He stated
On why the concentration on the Ikorodu axis, Adekoya explained that the authority is focusing on that axis because the population of the town has increased tremendously over the years.
He noted that  there is only one way in and out of Ikorodu adding that the water ways has provided an alternative to commuters.
He was of the opinion that Ikorodu can be classified as a mega city due to the number of smaller towns and development springing up within the town.
He also disclosed that plans have been concluded to rehabilitate the Mile 2 jetty in a few months following the construction of the ten lane high way which according to him will make that jetty to be very strategic to commuters on the Badagry-Ojo axis.

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