By Praise Chinecherem
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra State has assured its preparedness to ensure a smooth and hitch-free traffic, before, during and after the Christmas and New year celebrations.
The Sector Commander, Adeoye Irelewuyi who gave the assurance in a chat with reporters, however cautioned motorists against over-speeding, especially while plying the second Niger Bridge ahead of its opening on Thursday.
He said the temptation of over-speeding along the three kilometer bridge would most likely be high in view of its smoothness, particularly during the yuletide.
The FRSC boss however assured heavy presence of his officers across the length and breath of the bridge to ensure its smoothness was not abused by drivers.
He said, “The temporary opening of the bridge is a welcome development and will definitely going to be a big relief. We look forward to freer traffic flow and shorter travel time.
“The smoothness of the highway, however is not a license to speed. The faster you go, the less you are in control of the vehicle in case of any emergency.
“Yes, the bridge is a world class standard, with wonderful surface. The bridge is about 3km long and within that length, if the road user is not careful, he can be involved in a crash if he over speeds.
“We appeal to motoring public not to overspeed. They should resist the temptation of pressing the pedal to the floor. It’s a very dangerous practice. It’s an abnormality of the human factor.
“We’ve mapped out deployment points for the periods. We’re going to ensure that normal speed is maintained to avoid situation where a scheme designed to ease traffic flow will now become a death trap.
“The deployment is going to be in 3 shifts, morning, afternoon and evening so as to
avoid fatigue on the side of our personnel, at the same time monitor motorists that may want to disobey traffic rules and bring them to compliance.
“We’ll also be deploying all our resources, including our 2 trucks, one on each bridge, in case of any breakdown of vehicles. We’re also going to deploy lots of technology, including rader guns to monitor speed and evidence based alcoholizers all to ensure people use the facilities as safely as possible.
“We’re also deploying our ambulances for quick emergency response, one will be permanently stationed on the bridge. We’re going to work with other sister agencies, especially security personnel because we’re mindful of some crime prone areas.”
“We’re fully prepared to handle the traffic situation because we’re expecting a higher density of traffic flow.”
