A cable car company, Ropeways Transport Limited, is set to make a name for itself in the history of Nigeria by launching a cable car mass urban transit system in the nation’s commercial capital, Lagos.
This followed the signing of a 30-year franchise agreement between Ropeways Transport Limited, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and the Lagos State government recently.
Under the terms of the agreement, Ropeways Transport will this November begin the construction of towers, stations and connecting network cables along various routes covered in the first phase of the project, namely, Ijora – Iddo, Iddo – Adeniji; Apapa – Oluwole, Oluwole – Adeniji, Adeniji – Obalende, Obalende – Falomo, and Falomo – Victoria Island. The project is expected to be fully completed and commissioned by early 2015.
The Lagos cable car transit system would provide an alternative means of mass transportation in the city and it will help ease the current transportation hassles in Lagos and help restore dignity to commuting because the current situation hampers economic development within the city and negatively impacts the quality of life of it’s residents.
On the safety of the cable car system, the Ropeways CEO described it as one of the safest means of transport worldwide.
A 2009 study by the Vancouver Metropolitan Transport Agency in Canada determined that passengers are 20,000 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident in a vehicle than in a cable car.
According to him, when completed, the Lagos Cable Car Transit system will incorporate several standard safety features, including auxiliary drives and hydraulic brakes to prevent passengers being stranded, lightening protection on towers, ropes and stations, as well as, solar panels on each cabin roof to provide power for cabin interior and exterior lighting. There will also be passenger monitoring with CCTV and audio communication links and passenger address systems.
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