Senate has mandated the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola to remove speed bumps erected on federal highways nationwide.
The upper legislative chamber has also urged government to put measures in place that would regulate and standardise erection of speed bumps.
Lawmakers also asked the ministry to prevail on owners of petrol stations to build a service lane of not less than 50 metres, on both sides of their stations, to avoid customers turning directly to and from the highways.
Senate resolutions were sequel to a motion jointly sponsored by Senators Barnabas Gemade and Stella Oduah.
The chamber urged government to enforce set-back regulations for fixed structures along highways, and also, asked for planning authority regulations for motor parks, markets and places of worship.
Gemade said: “These bumps were indiscriminately erected in several communities, villages, hamlets, petrol filling stations, markets, road side buka and even individual homes, by whoever wanted vehicles to agonise their locations.
“There is need for speed control on our highways, to avoid over-speeding by motorists especially around hospitals and schools. Interestingly, the FRSC has introduced a speed control device, to be installed in commercial vehicles. This took effect two months ago.
“Speed bumps now constitute a nuisance source other than serve any useful purpose whatsoever. Some of the hazards to vehicle owners are accelerated wear and tear of the vehicles, loss of many hours in billions, when quantified nationwide, damage to vehicle suspension systems as most of these bumps are not professionally designed.
“Bumps are used strictly on city streets, to control crossing intersections without slowing down and not on free traffic highways that are not crossing any other roads, while roads that cross federal highways should have the bumps and not on the highway.”
Earlier, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu called for caution in agreeing with the motion’s prayers. He said as a person, he was worried about the danger associated with removal of the speed bumps; against the backdrop of the reckless nature of some drivers.
Ekweremadu said the problem of people disobeying the law of the land exists, but he was quick to stress that there is the need to put in place stringent laws to guide against those who break the laws, just as he warned that Senate should find a way of balancing the confidence of drivers and protection of lives if the bumps must be removed.
He said if that was not done, a situation of harvest of deaths would take place.