Lagos govt deploys technology to ensure seamless parking operations

The Lagos State government has teamed up with ARCA Payment Limited to develop a parking payment application to improve coordinated parking operations across the state.

The partnership was announced at a meeting between the Lagos State Parking Authority (LSPA) and ARCA Payment Ltd.. Its goal is to improve the parking system and provide a seamless transaction process for permits, registration, inquiry, and other services.

LASPA General Manager, Adebisi Adelabu, who made the announcement on Wednesday, April 5, stated that the agency had been committed to integrating technological solutions into its parking management system.

Adelabu noted that the initiative would provide a user-friendly system while building an accurate database to manage parking proceedings for the state.

According to her, the initiative aims at giving Lagosians the best and most suitable parking experience by guaranteeing a stress-free process for end-users of the authority’s services, emphasizing the effect on reconciliation and revenue assurance for the government.

Adelabu explained that the authority had been committed to supporting various organizations and business entities to identify and proffer long-term solutions to their parking challenges.

She noted that most organizations operating in the state lacked adequate parking space, contributing to indiscriminate parking.

She stated that the state government had started installing signage and lane markings in phases across the state to guide motorists and pedestrians on available parking lots.

Adelabu urged the public to support LASPA’s efforts toward improving the parking system of the state. She also noted that enforcement of parking regulations has significantly reduced road mishaps and traffic congestion across the metropolis.

It is not, however, clearly stated if the initiative will totally replace revenue collections by the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), also known as ‘agberos’ in the state.

The ICIR reported in 2021 how the state was annually losing more than N123 billion in revenue to the ‘agberos’, led by the infamous Musiliu Akinsanya, also addressed as MC Oluomo.

This amount of money could cover the annual budgets of Nasarawa, Niger, and Yobe states combined.

The NURTW levies on passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and tricycles to generate this revenue, and it also collects money from other sources like hawkers, articulated vehicles, and market-goers.

The report shows that the NURTW controls 75,000 buses, 50,000 tricycles, and 37,000 motorcycles. Every day, the union levies N3,000 on buses, N600 on motorcycles, and N1,800 on tricycles, which results in N82.1 billion, N8.1 billion, and N32.9 billion in annual revenue for buses, motorcycles, and tricycles, respectively.

Source: ICIR

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