The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), FCT, says it will continue to train and retrain dispatch riders for a seamless traffic management in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Head, Public Relations and Enlightenment of the service, Mr Kalu Emetu, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Sunday in Abuja.
Emetu said that this was as a result of the unprofessional conduct by some of the dispatch riders operating in the FCT, particularly in the city centre.
He said that the directorate had been doing a lot to ensure safety on FCT roads, adding that the unprofessional conduct exhibited by some dispatch riders was a major challenge.
“Enforcement of rules has always been our last resort, and before enforcement, training and retraining are frequently organised, sometimes against their wishes just to get it right.
“And for them to have the Riders’ Certification Card, (RCC), they must be seen to have complied with certain expectations and this is always achieved through training.
“So, with the mandate of the DRTS, we always insist on teaching them everything about FCT roads and monitoring of their operations to know those who have continued to flout regulations,” he said.
Emetu said that all these efforts were geared towards ensuring a seamless traffic management.
According to him, when they flout the regulations, the service has no option than to impose stiff penalties on them through heavy fine.
On the number of registered despatch riders in the FCT, Emetu explained that DRTS had so far registered over 4,600 of them operating legally in the territory.
“We had earlier registered 3,600 of them, but later had to add another 1, 000 based on complaints, and coupled with the fact that some of them were no longer on the roads.
“Based on our findings, we discovered that about 500 were grounded before we approved the registration of an additional 1,000.
“Those who operate illegally which are always picked up and removed from the road by the DRTS operatives,”t he said.
On the commercial motorcycles that still operate in unauthorised areas, Emetu said that such people always had their motorcycles impounded with no chance of getting them back.
He explained that the DRTS normally approached a competent Court of jurisdiction to obtain an order of forfeiturelf such motorcycles.
“With the court order, the property automatically becomes that of the government.
“So, it is now left for the service to decide what to do with it. Most times, it opts for outright crushing of the property,” he said. (NAN)
