Cable Car To Be Available In Lagos By 2014

The long awaited cable car project is on the verge of
completion, says Governor Babatunde Fashola, but he
did not give a date for the completion of the project.
Fashola, who spoke at the World Habitat Day held at
the Adeyemi Bero Audirorium, Alausa in Ikeja, Lagos,
southwest Nigeria on Monday, said residents of the
state would begin to enjoy cable car and light rail
transportation within the metropolis as the projects
would be completed soon.
The governor stated that cable car, which is part of
the Apapa model city plan, would transit between
Apapa and Falomo, via Lagos Island, while describing the
innovation as vital to achieving the mega city status.
He said his administration was committed to activating
every means of transportation in the state in order to
reduce the number of vehicles on the road, which
cause unheal thy carbon emissions.
Fashola, who was represented by the Commissioner
for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, pledged that his
administration would continue to formulate policies to
improve transportation and mass movement of
people, stressing that the theme of the celebration,
which is Urban Mobility, was a key factor in the
development of the state to a model mega city.
The governor stated that the light rail project would
be commissioned before the end of next year as it
was estimated that 1.6 million Lagosians would be
transported daily, which translates to 19.2 million
passengers annually.
"By the end of 2014, The Blue Line should transport
Lagosians from Mile 2 to Marina, a journey of about
13.5 kilometres, in the shortest possible time. We are
also proud to say that the cable car; a veritable means
of fast and unhindered transportation, is on the verge
of completion.
"To grow the economy of our dear city of Lagos into
one of the model Mega Cities in Africa, embracing the
best practices in the transportation/urban mobility
cannot be overlooked. Lagosians must accept this
concept of transportation as safer and more
economical. We must recognise that individual
transportation translates to more vehicles on the
roads, which translate to an unhealthy volume of
carbon emissions.
"Hence, our drive to provide a combination of
transportation that would include road, rail and water
ways. The challenges, however, are formulating more
innovative changes aimed at ensuring the sustainability
of these policies."
The governor pointed out that in the last 14 years,
priority attention had been paid to the improvement
of urban mobility through the development of roads,
water ways and rail lines, while identifying inadequate
public transportation and parking spaces, as well as
congestion as contemporary challenges.
According to him, "our water transportation now
moves about two million people daily. The cable car will
take off from Apapa and link to Falomo via Lagos
Island. The feasibility study is on and tests are being
conducted. Soon, Lagosians would experience another
transportation experience.
"The Blue line and the Red line rail projects are ongoing
and will soon be completed. Lagos State is the third in
the African continent to achieve urban mobility. It is
gratifying to note that the state has dedicated 50
percent of the state budget to capital expenditure
only, thus allowing for the provision of transport
infrastructure in the state as well upgrading and
expansion of the existing roads."

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