Skip to main content

Commuters express mixed feelings over using pedestrian bridges

Bridge

Some FCT Residents on Wednesday expressed mixed feelings over the poor usage of pedestrian bridges provided in some parts of the city.

Many residents prefer to cross the road by simply sprinting across rather than use the bridges.

Some of the bridges have been turned to mini-markets by some people who hawk their wares at the foot and on top of the bridges instead of allowing them to be used solely for its purpose.

Some of the residents said the locations of most of the bridges were often too far from their bus-stops.

A resident of Lugbe, Mrs Victoria Duru, said that she preferred to cross the road by ‘making a dash’ instead of using the bridge, adding that her bus stop was too far from the bridge.

She said that she was aware of the dangers associated with crossing the busy express road but still prefer it instead of trekking to the pedestrian bridge.

“I know the danger associated with crossing the expressway, especially during the busy period, but I still prefer to cross the road by sprinting across.

“The location of my bus stop to the bridge is quite a distance and is always difficult for me to walk that distance everyday,’’ Duru said.

Another resident, Mrs Yinka Adedeji, said that her fear for heights and the energy used to climb the bridge had hindered her from using the bridge.

“I have phobia for heights and there is no way I can walk without looking down. Moreso, it takes physical strength to climb that bridge.
“Again, one cannot put out the fear of being robbed especially at night,” she said.
Mr Uche Philip, a businessman, said that using the bridge was safer in spite of its challenges.
According to him, it is better to use the bridge than to risk one’s life dashing across busy highways.
“Not doing so can be dangerous. In fact, I will advice that more of these bridges should be constructed in some strategic locations of the city to avert unnecessary deaths of residents.

“Also, there should be people like the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency officers who will monitor the bridge against hawkers because people leave all kinds of dirt and refuse on the walkway.”
Similarly, Mr Yahaya Nasiru, a civil servant, said that using the bridge gives one a sense of sanity.

“When I see pedestrian running across the highway, I assume they are not mentally alright or else, how can one explain the situation.
“I think a task force should be in place within these bridges ensuring that people who want to cross the expressway are either penalised or are fined to serve as a deterrent to others,” Nasiru said.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Man docked for defiling 9-year-old girl

magistrate-court A 33-year-old man, Godwin Otobo, was on Monday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.For allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, ‎Otobo, who lives at No. 10, Borrow Pit St., Sangotedo-Ajah area of Lagos, was said to have defiled the underage girl whose parents also reside in the same compound. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 9.00 p.m. sometimes in September. “The accused defiled the girl in the night when she was fetching water.‎ “The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Osayande told the court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement. Ruling on a bail application filed by the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade...
Post a Comment
Read more