Lagos to begin paid on-street parking to tackle gridlock

Lagos State will begin charging motorists for parking on designated streets before the end of 2026, the Lagos State Parking Authority has announced.

General Manager of LASPA, Adebisi Adelabu, disclosed this while briefing the Chairman of Ikeja LGA, Akeem Dauda, and his management team during a stakeholder engagement visit. This was contained in a statement by the Head, Public Affairs, LASPA, Dunkwu Divine, on Wednesday.

Adelabu said the On-Street Parking Scheme will commence as a pilot in selected Local Government Areas (LGAs), including Ikeja and is designed to bring order to parking on Lagos streets, ease traffic congestion and create jobs for residents within the designated areas.

The LASPA boss clarified the authority’s mandate, noting that responsibility for parking management was originally domiciled with local councils before the Conference of 57 LGAs and Local Council Development Areas formally ceded it to LASPA.

She added that LGAs and LCDAs stand to benefit from the initiative based on their level of cooperation, urging local authorities to actively support its implementation. Mrs. Adelabu also reaffirmed LASPA’s openness to inputs and suggestions from stakeholders to ensure a smooth rollout.

Responding, the Ikeja LGA Chairman welcomed the development, pledging the council’s support, while calling for wider public sensitization to prepare residents ahead of the scheme’s commencement.

With Lagos grappling with chronic traffic gridlock and disorderly roadside parking, authorities say the scheme represents a significant step toward more structured and sustainable urban mobility management in Africa’s largest city.

Chaotic roadside parking has long been identified as a major contributor to the gridlock that plagues Lagos, particularly in high-traffic commercial districts such as Ikeja, Lagos Island, Surulere and Apapa.

Vehicles parked indiscriminately on roadsides routinely narrow carriageways, obstruct traffic flow and frustrate commuters, with economic consequences running into billions of naira in lost productivity annually.(Guardian)