Some motorists and residents have lamented over the poor condition of waste collection trucks plying some roads in the Alimosho Local Government area of Lagos State.
They maintained that the stationery trucks otherwise known as PSP trucks break down indiscriminately on the roads thereby causing gridlock.
The motorists told PUNCH Metro that once the truck becomes faulty, they are left on the spot by the drivers, thereby posing a danger to road users.
One of the motorists, Dehinde Olawala, said the trucks were often left on the road for days without repair.
He said, “The issue of the PSP trucks breaking down on the roads in this area is becoming too much. I stay along the Isheri-Igando road and this is an area where we don’t usually see traffic, but whenever these trucks break down, then traffic starts to build along the road. It often ends up causing a long traffic because the roads are just two lanes. And this is simply because most of the trucks are not in a good condition. You can tell when you see some of them.
“It is also worrisome that wherever the truck becomes faulty, they don’t get to fix it on time. The drivers leave the truck on the spot.”
Another motorist who identified himself simply as Charles said only a few of the trucks applied a C-caution sign whenever they broke down.
He said, “I drive carefully at night to avoid stories that touch because most of these trucks don’t apply any C-caution sign whenever they become faulty and park by the roadside. Only a few of them place unused tyres or tree branches some distance behind their trucks. Some of them do not even apply it at all and this leads to accidents. I almost had one while driving home along the Egbeda-Idimu area.
“I did not notice it on time since the streetlight was not functioning and the point where the truck broke down was a bend. I was lucky not to have crashed into the truck that night. As I speak, one has broken down at the Oladun area leading to the Isheri-Igando road. There is another with similar conditions near Foursquare Camp between Idimu and Orisumbare. The operators need to do more to keep their trucks in a good shape.”
Most of the trucks are owned by operators contracted by the state government under the Lagos Waste Management Authority.
PUNCH Metro however learnt that a dumpsite at the Oko filling area of the community has contributed to the increase in the presence of trucks in the area and their regular use of the roads.
Meanwhile, residents and business owners said the stench emanating from the truck affected them.
The state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, urged residents to notify the authorities in the event of such an occurrence.
He said, “They can call LAWMA or LASTMA to let them know about any truck that breaks down. LAWMA has trucks that are efficient. Those trucks belong to private individuals. The way to go about it is for the residents to call the attention of the authorities to remove the trucks once they break down.”
