Residents of the Jaba and Panisau communities in the Kano metropolis have appealed to the state government to address the traffic gridlock on the roads linking to the areas.
The residents made the call-in separate interviews on Thursday in Kano. They said that commuters spend long hours in traffic, especially in the morning when taking their children to schools or going to their offices and doing business activities daily.
Dennis Ian, a resident, said motorists on the Aliko-Free Trade axis could spend up to three hours in traffic on journeys that ordinarily took less than five minutes.
Ian attributed the congestion partly to heavy-duty trucks passing through the Free Trade Zone. He therefore urged the government to regulate their movement as part of measures to reduce the traffic gridlock in those affected areas.
Jerry Akpan, another resident, expressed concern over dust and air pollution, saying the situation is affecting their health and other road users. Akpan also called for urgent work on roads linking Jaba, Panisau and other parts of the metropolis to ease movement.
The residents appealed for the expansion and dualisation of major roads in the area, as well as the provision of alternative routes.
They said better roads and effective traffic management would reduce travel time and improve access to schools, workplaces, markets and other parts of the city.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Marwan Ahmad, said plans were underway to expand and dualise the 11.4-kilometre Jaba-Ungogo-Panisau road.
Ahmad said the project was among roads listed in a rehabilitation tender, assuring residents that the government was working to address road infrastructure challenges across the state.
He also said the government planned to complete ongoing road projects before the end of Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf’s first tenure.
Ahmad added that Sarkin Yaki, Ibo, Gold Coast and France roads had also been listed for rehabilitation, while work on the five-kilometre Zungeru Road was ongoing.
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