The Cross River State Government has unveiled plans to tackle traffic congestion in Calabar metropolis with the proposed establishment of a Central Motor Park.
The Commissioner for Environment, Barr. Bassey Offiong Mensah, disclosed this at a stakeholders' engagement meeting with transport operators, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders in his office in Calabar on Wednesday.
According to him, the proposed central park is aimed at decongesting the city centre, curbing illegal parks, checking indiscriminate parking and other transportation challenges, restoring order to the transport system and protecting the environment, especially green areas that have been converted to motor parks.
The Commissioner expressed concern over the increasing abuse of the transport system, particularly the indiscriminate parking of commercial vehicles along major roads.
Mensah lamented the decline in the orderliness and aesthetic appeal for which Calabar was once known, noting that the increasing number of commercial buses on the roads had not been matched by effective regulation and enforcement.
He called for collective action involving the government, security agencies, transport operators and other stakeholders to restore discipline and ensure compliance with established traffic regulations.
On the proposed central motor park, the Commissioner said the idea required careful consideration, consultation and agreement among relevant stakeholders to determine its feasibility and potential benefits to the transport sector.
The representative of the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), SRC Esuku Ikpi, highlighted the difficulties encountered by regulatory agencies in enforcing traffic regulations, particularly where commercial vehicles obstruct visibility and create hazards for other road users.
He also commended the Commissioner for ongoing interventions in cutting dangerous overgrown trees and clearing drainage channels, describing the initiatives as important contributions to public safety and environmental improvement.
The representative of the Cross River State Commissioner of Police, ASP God'spower Adika, echoed the need to clarify the responsibilities of regulatory agencies, address concerns surrounding the collection of levies from transport operators and ensure that existing motor parks are properly utilised.
The Chairman of the Cross River Transport Regulatory Agency (CTRA), Hon. Oliver Orok, emphasised the need for effective regulation of commercial transport operations, urging stakeholders to collaborate in addressing indiscriminate parking and other practices contributing to traffic congestion in Calabar.
The Chairman of Private Parks, Hon. Archibong Orok, stressed that sustainable solutions to the traffic menace would require cooperation among government agencies, security personnel, private park operators, transport unions and other stakeholders in the sector.
Other stakeholders emphasised the importance of balancing the interests of transport operators with the safety, convenience and welfare of commuters and other road users. They identified inadequate parking spaces, the conversion of sections of existing motor parks into shops, the proliferation of unauthorised parks and resistance to enforcement as some of the factors contributing to the problem.
By Sylvia Okoi
