By Yusuf Odejobi
Truck owners under the aegis of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) will have a dialogue with the Special Adviser to Lagos State Government on Transportation in a bid to resolve the menace caused by Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and members of the committee for the removal of abandoned trucks.
The Group stated that agency and the Committee indiscriminately towed members truck and slammed outrageous sums as penalties on them before proceeding to court where dialogue fails to resolve the problem.
AMATO revealed this in a communique released after a meeting at their Secretariat in Apapa, Lagos at the weekend.
Other decisions agreed as published in the communique include: All maritime truckers to move away trucks from roads and bridges to their respective parks in order to allow “eto” automation system to seamlessly schedule, manage and control movement of all trucks from parks to the ports; Truck and Transit Park Limited ( TTP) should carry all garages along in the implementation of “eto” automation system of accessing port terminals.
Meanwhile, truckers are to sensitize their drivers on the dangers of drug abuse and allowing inexperience motor boys to drive truck into port terminals in order to reduce the rate of accidents involving trucks and terminal equipments in the yard; To engage service of private towing operators to handle towing members faulty trucks from the roads at an affordable rate.
The Group also advised the state government not to allow the people previously involved in various task force operations in Apapa/Tin Can road axis to be part of any “eto” implementation task force or committee.
