By Cynthia Johnson
Residents and motorists in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State have lamented the poor condition of waste collection trucks plying some roads in the area.
As gathered by Quest Times, the residents said that the trucks, which are known as PSP trucks, often break down indiscriminately, causing gridlock and posing a danger to road users.
Speaking with newsmen, a motorist who simply identified himself as Charles, said that only a few of the trucks apply a C-caution sign when they break down, adding that this has led to accidents.
“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,” he said.
Another motorist, Dehinde Olawala, said that the trucks are often left on the road for days without repair. He said it is a problem because the roads in Alimosho are only two lanes wide.
“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.”
The residents also said that the stench from the trucks is a problem.
Reacting, the state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, has urged residents to notify the authorities if they see a broken-down PSP truck.
“They can call LAWMA or LASTMA to let them know about any truck that breaks down.”
He added that LAWMA has trucks that are efficient, but that the trucks that are breaking down belong to private individuals.