By Francis Onyeukwu
A cross section of Anambra residents have appealed to Prof. Charles Soludo, the incoming governor of the state to tackle growing gridlock in Awka and Onitsha.
Respondents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Awka said that traffic situation in Awka, Nnewi and Onitsha was degenerating daily.
Mr Chris Chikelu said some locations in Awka have turned to nightmare for commuters, while blaming the problem on activities tricycle operators and revenue collectors collecting tolls from the operators.
“As motorists in Awka, places like Aroma junction, Kwata, Amawbia, Eke Awka roundabout and junction close to St. Peters Anglican Church, Amawbia among others have become gridlock flash points.
“Outside Awka, the same problem is there in several locations in Nnewi and Onitsha the commercial nerve centre of the state,” Chikelu said.
He blamed the problem on what he called rascally behaviour of tricycle operators.
Chikelu said that the incoming governor should look into the institutional rot that tends to encourage the growing traffic with a view to addressing it.
He said some of the tricycle operators have poor knowledge of traffic rules, but cause obstruction with impunity due to tolls they pay to revenue collectors.
Another respondent, Uchenna Okorafor, a commercial bus driver who plies Awka to Onitsha said addressing problem of gridlock in Awka and Onitsha would be appreciated as a gesture from Soludo.
“We are aware that outgoing governor, Willie Obiano has done his best, but the state is now becoming a very horrible place in terms of poor traffic control.
“Now that Obiano’s days are numbered, his successor, Soludo should sanitize the place before thinking of infrastructural provision, because some people now want to mess up the whole place.
“Let Soludo possibly look into the use of tricycles in some highly congested places like Onitsha main market axis, Upper Iweka, Ochanja market areas.
“He should also look at other densely populated locations in Awka and Nnewi,” Okorafor said.
Two others respondents Kenneth Okoye and Emma Ifesinachi said that some residents were already getting fed up with the growing incidence of gridlock in Awka and Onitsha.
“Since the recent hike in the price of petrol, you can often see vehicles abandoned at some locations that regularly record gridlock because the owner ran out of fuel or other challenges.
“If the situation persists after the inauguration of the next governor, I personally might consider relocating to Oji River town because issue of gridlock was why I left Lagos,” Okoye said.(NAN)
