LASTMA Warns Lagos Residents Against Using Roller Skate Shoes on Highways

 LASTMA Warns Lagos Residents Against Using Roller Skate Shoes on Highways

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has warned children, teenagers and young adults against using rolling skate shoes, wheeled footwear and similar recreational devices on public highways, bridges and other vehicular corridors across the state.

The warning was issued by the agency amid concerns that the increasing use of footwear fitted with concealed or retractable wheels on roads designed for motorised traffic could expose users to serious and avoidable road crashes.

According to LASTMA, some users of the wheeled footwear attempt to glide alongside moving vehicles, cross carriageways indiscriminately or manoeuvre through traffic without adequate protective equipment and adult supervision.

The agency noted that public highways are dynamic environments where vehicles, motorcycles, pedestrians and other road users operate simultaneously, making them unsuitable for recreational skating.

LASTMA said the use of wheeled recreational devices on such roads could reduce users' ability to react appropriately to sudden vehicular movements, potentially resulting in collisions and life-threatening injuries.

The Authority consequently urged parents, guardians, schools and caregivers to discourage children and other vulnerable road users from using rolling skate shoes on highways, expressways, bridges, service lanes and other roads where vehicular traffic is permitted.

It advised users of the footwear to restrict skating activities to designated recreational facilities, private compounds and other safe environments suitable for such activities.

LASTMA also stressed the importance of using appropriate protective equipment, including helmets, knee pads and elbow pads, whenever skating.

The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said road safety requires collective responsibility, constant vigilance and disciplined behaviour from all road users.

Bakare-Oki emphasised that the preservation of human life must remain paramount, adding that no recreational activity should warrant exposing individuals or other road users to unnecessary danger.

The agency also appealed to motorists to exercise increased caution around children and young people using wheeled footwear, particularly in residential areas, estates, school zones and other locations where vulnerable road users could suddenly enter the traffic stream.

LASTMA urged members of the public to promptly report dangerous traffic situations, road obstructions, crashes, vehicle breakdowns and other incidents requiring urgent traffic-management intervention through its toll-free short code 3367.

The Authority reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives, promoting responsible road-user behaviour and maintaining a safer and more orderly transportation environment across Lagos State.

LASTMA said safety on Lagos roads remains a shared civic responsibility involving motorists, pedestrians and all other categories of road users.