Essential Ndubuisi
The Anambra State Road Management Agency, ARTMA, has come up with new strategies to solve regular traffic problems at Bridge Head, Onitsha.
The new leadership of the state-owned traffic regulatory agency, just under one month in office, had kicked off by identifying traffic red zones across the state, which it promised to tackle head on.
The Onitsha Bridge Head is one of such areas that have become notorious for regular gridlocks, caused mostly by motorists who either make wrong parking, take the wrong turns and diversions, and, for commercial motorists, pull up along the expressway to pick up passengers.
The new traffic directives which come with signs that clearly show that NO U- turn once a vehicle descends from the bridge from Asaba -all vehicles from Asaba that wish to access the main market or wood market must use the Upper Iweka bridge to turn.
Also, only vehicles heading to the Industrial Harbor Layout are allowed to take the right turn when they come into Anambra from the Asaba end of the bridge.
Furthermore, no left turn for all vehicles exiting the Industrial Harbor Layout; vehicles must turn by Upper Iweka flyover, while the two service lanes are strictly for one way traffic, motorists plying the opposite will be apprehended.
Finally, under the bridge head is strictly one way and allowed for only vehicles coming from Upper Iweka towards the Bridge Head and intend to turn to face back Upper Iweka or access the textile market.
Decongestion and road signs have also been put in place to ensure easy turnings by the Upper Iweka bridge.
The aim of the new restrictions is to limit vehicles making crisscross movements on narrow lanes, and to also free up the roads and make vehicular movements smooth.
There are also parking and trading restrictions at some areas in Upper Iweka.
In an interview, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ARTMA, Engineer Emeka Okonkwo, who led the operation, said that the regulations are already effective and have helped to ease the worrisome traffic situation around the area.
He said that officers of the agency will maintain constant surveillance on the roads, to ensure that all vehicles comply with the new traffic directive, insisting that ARTMA under his leadership will stop at nothing in achieving traffic-free Anambra roads.
On his part, the ARTMA General Manager, Mr Chidi Umezinwa, said the new strategy will help road users who usually get trapped in logjams in the area for hours.
Mr Emeka Odionu, who uses the road regularly, gave a brief detail of the traffic situation in the areas before this time, and hailed the ARTMA boss, Engineer Okonkwo, for showing resilience and experience in tackling the problem.
