The federal government has commissioned low speed road signs (30km/h and 20km/h) on major urban roads in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The low speed road signs, donated and installed by Ochenuell Mobility is aimed at achieving low speed in urban areas in Nigeria and particularly in the capital city of Abuja.
Speaking at the commissioning, which took place on Abidjan Street, Wuse Zone 3, the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Musa Ibrahim said this is a welcome development and will help save lives.
The CEO of Ochenuell Mobility, Engr. Emmanuel John said this is part of activities marking the 8th United Nations Global Road Safety Week in Abuja.
He further said, “The donation was in response to three key issues: The National Council on Transport approved 30km/h as the default urban speed in Nigeria since 2022, but there has not been significant implementation. We conducted a study on FCT roads last year, particularly on select school zones, and discovered that not a single school corridor has a road sign, yet these are supposed to be low-speed streets.
“How best can law enforcement agencies implement speed enforcement when the speeds are not posted on the roads, and how does drivers know what speed they should run on such roads in the first place?
Consequently, the road signages were procured and installed on eight selected road corridors in Abuja.”
He further said, “It should be noted that speeding accounts for about 51 per cent of all causative factors of road crashes in Nigeria according to the Federal Road Safety Corps Nigeria. In particular, FCT have the highest rate of road crashes in Nigeria majorly attributed to speeding. Today across Africa, at least 40 per cent of all fatalities are pedestrians and cyclists largely killed by car drivers. Urban centers which are supposed to be places for safe walking and cycling cannot be as a result of speeding. Speeding contributes to urban noise, increases emissions and makes cities unsafe, hence the need for low speed. It was in this regard that the installed road signages were commissioned.”
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