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A sustainable transport system, experts say, should limit pollution, support a vibrant economy, improve the quality of life and spread increased societal benefits to all.
In a bid to raise awareness of the need for more sustainable modes of transportation like walking and cycling, a group of stakeholders have come together to organise the Sustainable Transport Festival 2023.
The Let’s Get Lagos Moving Campaign group started its advocacy for non-motorised transportation (NMT) modes in the state by celebrating World Bicycle Day in 2021.
It was well attended and covered with verifiable impacts and led the group to organise the first Car Free Day in Lagos in 2022 in conjunction with the Ministry of Transportation and the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).
An executive of Urban Better, Olasumbo Olaniyi, said the initiative aimed to inspire change as well as encourage environmental advocacy.
“Lagos is heavily motorised and about 70 per cent of all we do depends largely on movement and vehicles, which are mostly aged and emit a lot of noxious gasses, affecting the air quality. People spend a lot of time on the road and encouraging NMTs can help reduce this time and even help the state economically,” he said.
Agbo Francis of FT Cycle Care bemoaned the poor level of acceptance of NMTs, adding that cycling can provide a means of livelihood for many Nigerians and act as a simple means of transportation.
He regretted that besides the obvious dearth of infrastructure to encourage NMTs, many public spaces do not provide accommodation for them.
The 2023 Sustainable Transport Festival is a four-day festival that kicked off yesterday and will run till the 23rd of September 2023. The festival will open up with a series of live online discussions followed by a walkability assessment today to assess the walkability, accessibility and air quality of streets in Ikeja.
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