The Berger lay-by in Lagos State, originally created to provide vehicles with a designated stopping area, has increasingly become a roadside trading centre as vendors display and sell goods to commuters passing through the busy Ojodu Berger corridor.
Traders operating at the location now offer a range of goods and services, including food, drinks, clothing, phone accessories, ice cream and Point-of-Sale services. While the activity provides an income for people operating small businesses and gives commuters quick access to everyday items, it has also raised concerns about traffic management, pedestrian safety and the continued use of the facility for its intended purpose.
The Berger area is one of Lagos' important transport corridors, connecting the state with the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and serving large numbers of commuters every day. The lay-by was introduced as part of infrastructure designed to reduce roadside stopping and improve the movement of vehicles around the busy interchange.
For some traders, however, the location has become an important source of livelihood because of the steady stream of potential customers. One vendor who has operated in the area for several years said the proximity to commuters makes it easier to sell goods, while another trader said customers are attracted by the ability to negotiate prices.
Some vendors also say convenience is a major reason people patronise them. Commuters who are in a hurry can purchase food, drinks or other items without leaving the transport corridor and travelling further into surrounding streets.
The attraction is not limited to food and drinks. Clothing and mobile-phone accessories are also sold in the area, while POS operators provide financial services to commuters who may not have easy access to a bank or ATM nearby.
For traders, the arrangement offers an opportunity to earn a living without the cost of renting a conventional shop. However, the same arrangement exposes them to the possibility of enforcement action by Lagos authorities.
Some of the traders told reporters that officials of the Lagos State Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade regularly move them away from the location. Despite such enforcement, trading activities continue to return to parts of the lay-by.
The issue has consequently created a difficult balance between the economic needs of informal traders and the need to preserve public infrastructure for its designated purpose.
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has raised concerns about the development, saying the occupation of portions of the lay-by by traders, alongside activities by some commercial transport operators, is affecting traffic movement around the Berger axis.
LASTMA spokesperson Taofiq Adebayo said the unlawful use of the facility undermines its traffic-management function and can contribute to congestion and operational hazards. He said the agency, working with other government bodies including the KAI Brigade, had carried out enforcement operations in the area.
According to LASTMA, traders found obstructing the right of way and commercial bus operators violating traffic regulations have been apprehended and prosecuted through Mobile Courts. The agency also said it had engaged transport unions and associations in an effort to discourage indiscriminate passenger pick-up and drop-off along the roadway.
The concerns are not entirely new. The Berger lay-bys were commissioned in 2017 alongside a pedestrian bridge and slip roads as part of efforts to address severe traffic problems around the interchange. The facilities were specifically intended to move stopping, loading and unloading activities away from the main carriageway.
The return of commercial activity around the facility therefore presents a wider urban-management challenge for Lagos. While informal trading provides income for people who may struggle to afford formal commercial spaces, allowing businesses to operate within traffic infrastructure can create competing demands for limited public space.
Some traders have previously cited the high cost of renting shops in the Ojodu-Berger area as one reason people turn to roadside trading. Rising operating costs and reduced consumer spending have also made it more difficult for some small businesses to maintain conventional premises.
For commuters, the presence of vendors can be both useful and problematic. People travelling through the area can quickly purchase food or other necessities, but increased pedestrian activity and roadside obstruction can also create additional risks in an already busy transport environment.
The situation therefore goes beyond a simple dispute between traders and enforcement officials. It reflects the broader challenge of managing informal economic activity in a city where many residents depend on small-scale businesses for their livelihoods.
For the authorities, the immediate task is to ensure that the Berger infrastructure remains available for traffic management while addressing the economic concerns that encourage traders to occupy spaces not designated for commercial activity.
A lasting solution may require sustained enforcement alongside properly managed alternatives for informal traders. Without such an approach, periodic clearance operations could continue to be followed by the return of vendors to the same locations.
For now, LASTMA says enforcement will continue in collaboration with other relevant agencies, while traders remain under pressure to move their activities away from the lay-by and other parts of the roadway.
The Berger situation highlights a familiar dilemma in Lagos: how to protect public infrastructure and road safety while ensuring that people who depend on informal trading are not left without viable means of earning a living.
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