http://thenationonlineng.net/commendable-initiative/
Ever since its establishment over six years ago, Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1 FM has carved a special niche for itself on the highly competitive terrain of radio broadcasting in Nigeria’s mega city as well as commercial and industrial nerve-centre. With its specialised focus on providing timely and accurate information and updates on all modes of transportation in this city of at least 20 million residents who necessarily must move around on a daily basis to work, trade, engage in diverse forms of business, as well as for leisure and inevitable social engagements, the centrality of the traffic radio to the lives of Lagosians cannot be over-emphasised.
There is no doubt that the Lagos Traffic Radio has delivered appreciably on its mandate, particularly on the provision of useful information and updates to guide commuters on the understandably traffic-laden roads that crisscross the Lagos landscape. In particular, the station is known to offer traffic news and alerts to help motorists and commuters plan their journeys more efficiently throughout the length and breadth of the metropolis. In this regard, the radio’s wide listenership is guided to avoid protracted traffic congestions through alternative routes across all axes of the state.
Another very useful role performed by the radio is to alert motorists and commuters to accidents on the roads and offering advice on ways of avoiding the traffic hiccups that such mishaps often cause. This function is also most certainly of tremendous assistance to first responders, including health workers and traffic controllers in case of emergencies. In a similar vein, the radio is also of significant value to security agencies by alerting its listeners to rampant incidence of crimes, which are inevitable in any sprawling urban city with huge population.
Since a not insubstantial number of the population spend considerable time on the move from one destination to another, it is not surprising that the Lagos Traffic Radio has become a critical part of the daily life of millions of people in Lagos State. The services the radio offers must have certainly helped considerably to enable motorists and commuters plan their time more efficiently and thus helped to reduce loss of productive man hours due to perennial traffic congestion.
To its credit, the Lagos Traffic Radio has not been lured into complacency by the success it has recorded thus far. Rather, the management of the station has come up with a new and most commendable initiative to extend its services beyond providing information and guidance to road users. The radio has now commenced the dissemination of information on maritime and shipping positions as port schedules as well as airline and train time schedules.
Giving details on this initiative, the station’s acting general manager, Mr. Tayo Akanle, said the radio station will provide maritime shipping information and port schedules at 7.00 am, 7.30 am and 5 .00pm from Mondays to Fridays. Broadcast of air flight schedules will also come up on the station at 6.00am, 10.15am, 1.15am and 7.05 pm daily. This plan is coming on board at a most opportune time when the state government is intensifying ongoing efforts to provide alternatives to road transportation through rail and water commuting.
This initiative by Lagos Traffic Radio will most certainly expand its listenership base, thus making the station more attractive to advertisers, thereby enhancing its revenue base and commercial viability. It is noteworthy that the station has also capitalised on its special niche to provide public enlightenment services towards inculcating positive civic virtues and patriotic citizenship values in its wide audience. We urge the management of the radio station to more closely coordinate its work with the traffic management officials, security and environmental agencies so as to further optimise its value.
We commend the initiative to other states with major cities where traffic is also an issue. In many other parts of the world, people no longer leave home without first checking out for what the traffic situation is like. Since time is money, it is the wise thing to do in order to save valuable time that would have been otherwise lost to traffic snarls.
