“Clear well”: Cross River set to return traffic sanity on the roads

The ongoing campaign (clear well) to combat the obstruction of the free-flow of traffic in the streets of Calabar has entered a new phase.

Motorists who disregard traffic regulations by stopping to pick up or drop off passengers without promptly moving their vehicles off the road now face the risk of having their vehicles impounded by the state taskforce responsible for traffic monitoring and regulation.

During a recent engagement with stakeholders in the transport sector in Calabar, the state Commissioner for Transportation, Pastor Ekpeyong Cobham, emphasized the consequences of such actions.

He made it clear that vehicles found in violation of the traffic rules would be impounded, and the owners would be required to pay a fine in order to reclaim their vehicles.

Pastor Cobham highlighted the importance of a town hall meeting with various drivers’ associations, which brought together approximately 500 commercial drivers and other key figures in the transportation industry.

The purpose of this gathering was to facilitate discussions and exchange of ideas, enabling participants to gain insight into the government’s strategic direction for the transportation sector.

“Drivers must clear their vehicles well each time they stopped to pick passengers along the street to avoid obstructing the flow of traffic.

“Clear well,’ so that you don’t obstruct other motorists plying same road with you; so that you won’t obstruct other road users from going about their day’s businesses.

“Clear well’ is a slogan and concept which as government, we intend to take to next level, in consideration with the different challenges we are faced with in the sector.

“A total re-orientation and mindset of the drivers is very necessary. They need to be conscious on the fact that, if you want to pick a passenger, just clear well. You want to drop a passenger just clear well. This can lead us to other milestones that we wish to archive.

“The system as it is today, calls for absolute re-orientation. Some of these drivers did not attend basic driving school and all of that. We discover that all of these challenges, are a stop- gap measure that can arrest this case.

“Law No 2, 2015 regulating states categorically, if you obstruct traffic, you pay a fine of N10, 000. In as much as we are committed to implementing those laws, we also want to work out modalities where we can reach out to the mindset of this category of people.

“Like we all know, transportation sub-sector is an all-comer affairs, there is no entry qualification. A lot of these people are lacking in basic understanding, so we try to engage them by coming up with this kind of re-orientation,” Cobham said.

He added that, “For the launching of the slogan, ‘Clear Well,’ once we get mobilisation from His Excellency after engagement with him and we get approval, we will kick-start enlightenment campaign. God willing, we are sure that we will succeed.”

It is imperative for all motorists in Calabar to adhere to traffic regulations and ensure the smooth flow of traffic by refraining from obstructing the streets.

Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in the impoundment of vehicles and subsequent fines.

The collaboration between the government and stakeholders in the transport sector is crucial for fostering a harmonious and efficient transportation system in the region.

Additional topics covered at the interactive forum included the painting of commercial vehicles with state colors, the well-being of drivers, the leadership of the transport union, welfare concerns, ticketing procedures, security measures, and the enforcement of rules regarding obstruction.