Enugu Motorists Lament As Faulty Traffic Lights Cause Accidents

Some motorists in Enugu have expressed anger over dysfunctional traffic control lights in parts of the state capital.
Our correspondent observed that motorists approaching from different directions were given the green light to move at the same time, leading to accidents.
Such dysfunctional traffic lights are found in various parts of Enugu metropolis, particularly on Presidential Road in the New Layout area, as well as Ogui Road, Uwani, GRA, Independence Layout and other parts of the Coal City.
Some motorists, who spoke with Southern City News concerning the matter, blamed defective traffic lights for most of the accidents and other inconveniences on roads within the Enugu metropolis.
Our correspondent learnt that a major car cra sh on Uwani Street during the weekend resulted from a malfunctioning traffic light, which caused two vehicles from opposite directions to collide.
A motorist, Mr. James Eke, expressed displeasure over the development.
Eke told our correspondent his car once ran into another vehicle at the intersection between Presidential Road and Rangers Avenue because of a dysfunctional traffic light.
He said, “I was coming from Presidential Road, heading for Rangers Avenue and the traffic light stopped me at the intersection.
“I waited for the green light, but, surprisingly, when I drove off after the lights turned green, the cars on the opposite side, which were also going to Rangers Avenue, moved at the same time.
“I ran into another car. Had it not been that my brakes were in order, it would have been a fatal accident.
“Initially, I blamed the driver of the other vehicle, but I later realised that none of us was responsible for what happened – the traffic lights on the two sides turned green at the same time, signaling the two streams of vehicles on either side to move, even though we were entering the same lane from different directions.”
Another motorist, Ikenna Chidi, said his car was damaged as a result of dysfunctional traffic lights.
“I was in Edinburgh Street, heading out through WTC and although the red light had stopped those cars moving to the left, the green light signaled those going to the right to move and I was going to the right, along Mkpokiti Road towards UNEC. The problem was that Edinburgh Street, where I was, was narrow and other cars were coming into the street from the opposite direction.
“There was not enough space to maneuver to move to the right but I attempted it and my car was hit by another vehicle”, Chidi said.
Lucas Eme, a taxi driver, told our correspondent that he had a similar experience at the traffic light leading from Edinburgh Street to Mkpokiti Road.
“I don’t think a traffic light should be on that junction (between Edinburgh Street and Mkpokiti Road) in the first place.
“It is not necessary,” he said.
Attempts to get officials of the Enugu State Ministry of Transport to react to the complaints over dysfunctional traffic lights were not successful as at the time of filing this report.