Residents, motorists, passengers, business owners and traffic officials in parts of Abuja have raised concerns over the failure of traffic lights at some of the city’s busy junctions, saying the situation is creating confusion, causing delays and increasing the risk of road crashes.
The affected locations include parts of Jabi, Life Camp, Phase 3 Junction in Kubwa and Erie Crescent in Maitama, among other areas where motorists have had to navigate intersections without functioning traffic signals.
At some of the affected intersections, there were no traffic officials present to manually control the movement of vehicles, leaving motorists to negotiate their way through the junctions themselves.
The situation became more noticeable during periods of heavy traffic, when vehicles approached the junctions from different directions at the same time.
While some drivers slowed down to allow others to pass, others attempted to move through quickly, resulting in sudden braking, delays and near-collisions.
A resident, Daniel, said the situation had become a daily source of concern, particularly for pedestrians who had to cross busy roads without the clear instructions normally provided by traffic signals.
He said the faulty traffic light at Jabi had made the junction more difficult to navigate, especially during peak hours.
“Once the traffic light stops working, everybody becomes confused. You have to watch the vehicles coming from different directions before you can move. It is dangerous because not every driver is patient,” Daniel said.
Another resident, Nuhu, said pedestrians were equally exposed to danger because some motorists approached the intersection without slowing down.
“When the light is working, pedestrians know when vehicles are supposed to stop. But when it is not working, you have to wait and look in every direction before crossing. Some drivers will still try to pass even when people are crossing,” Nuhu said.
Several motorists interviewed said the situation had increased pressure on drivers, particularly those unfamiliar with the affected junctions, where they said vehicles sometimes came into conflict.
One of the motorists, David, said drivers were now forced to make decisions based on instinct instead of relying on an established traffic-control system.
“When the traffic light was working, everybody knew when to stop and when to move. Now, everyone is trying to judge the situation using their instincts. They just move without direction and you as a driver have to be very cautious,” he said.
David said the absence of functioning signals could encourage aggressive driving, adding that some motorists viewed the malfunction as an opportunity to force their way through the junction.
“A driver who is patient will wait, but another person will just move ahead because he wants to pass first. Before you know it, two or three vehicles are trying to enter the same place,” he said.
Johnson, who said he had used the route for a long time, said the problem was not only the faulty equipment but also the attitude of some motorists.
“Some motorists take advantage of malfunctioning traffic lights to drive aggressively. Even when a traffic marshal is controlling the junction, some drivers ignore the instructions and try to force their way through,” he said.
He warned that such behaviour could easily result in serious accidents.
Passengers who use the affected routes also expressed concern about the situation.
A passenger, Benson, who spoke around Wuse Market, said traffic officials could help control vehicles temporarily but should not be expected to permanently replace electronic traffic signals.
“The traffic officials are helping, but they cannot be there every time. They can become tired, and there are times when nobody is there, especially late at night or when it is raining heavily,” he said.
He called on the authorities to repair the faulty lights instead of relying entirely on traffic officers.
“Having a working traffic light gives everybody a clear instruction. You don’t need to start arguing with another driver over who should go first,” he added.
Another passenger, Samson, said the problem had affected journey times.
“Sometimes the distance is not far, but you spend a lot of time at the junction because everybody is trying to move at the same time,” he said.
At Life Camp Junction, the problem appeared to have persisted for an extended period, with motorists and business owners claiming that the traffic light had remained faulty for more than a year.
The prolonged malfunction has reportedly increased the workload of traffic officials, who have had to manually control vehicles at the busy intersection.
One of the motorists, Aliyu Mohammed, said the absence of a functioning traffic signal had made it difficult to regulate the movement of vehicles.
He said motorists often approached the junction without knowing whether vehicles from other directions would stop.
Another motorist, James, said a functioning traffic light would make motorists more willing to obey traffic regulations.
“If the traffic light can be fixed, we will abide by the rules,” James said.
According to him, the problem had contributed to the disorder experienced at the junction.
Another motorist said the faulty traffic light had personally contributed to an accident involving him.
Traffic officials stationed around some of the affected junctions said the malfunctioning traffic lights had significantly increased their workload.
One official explained that when the traffic signal was functioning properly, their primary responsibility was to monitor traffic and intervene when necessary.
“If the traffic light is working perfectly, there will not be a need for us to walk manually. We can only control and monitor if the traffic light is working perfectly,” the official said.
He said the malfunction had forced officials to stand at the junctions and manually direct vehicles, adding that the task became physically demanding when traffic was heavy.
“Imagine standing for hours directing vehicles when the traffic light is supposed to be doing the work. During heavy traffic, it becomes more stressful,” he said.
The officials said they had communicated the problems to the relevant authorities but claimed that action had not been taken to restore some of the affected signals.
They called for urgent repairs and regular maintenance of traffic-control equipment across Abuja.
The Mandate Secretary, FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Mr Chinedum Elechi on Thursday said the secretariat working with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other sister agencies, has commenced a sustained special enforcement operation against traffic light violations, driving against traffic and other road offences across Abuja.
The Secretary, who said that a taskforce to that effect will start patrol and arrest of perpetrators, added that offenders would face the full weight of the law.
Elechi said the enforcement exercise was necessitated by increasing disregard for traffic rules by some motorists, particularly following the expansion of the FCT road network under the urban renewal programme of the administration of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
