As Lagosians return to their daily commutes, a new wave of speed-enforcement cameras, including those installed on the Third Mainland Bridge, have put road safety technology in the spotlight.
This has sparked new debate about enforcement, penalties and how the system works.
Lagos State Government's Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) launched in collaboration with Huawei Technologies, which now includes
Checkpoint sites for speed detection and e-police sites for traffic violations at key locations across the metropolis.
Which cameras have been installed?
Cameras with built-in speed monitoring and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) are now active at well-known traffic points, including the Third Mainland Bridge, which has a speed limit of 80 km/h, as well as Alapere, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way and other roads.
Reports also reveal that on Allen Avenue and Nurudeen Olowoppo Road, the e-police infrastructure detects widespread traffic violations, including running at red lights, illegal U-turns, lane indiscipline and reverse driving.
The federal government also inaugurated a CCTV control center on the Third Mainland Bridge, aimed at real-time monitoring of speed and safety
conditions. This system allows officers to view live footage and consistently enforce limits.
Also read: FG inaugurates N40bn CCTV center at Third Mainland Bridge
How do cameras detect speed and plate numbers?
Cameras are part of modern traffic enforcement technology that combines multiple hardware and software systems.
Most fixed speed cameras use radar, LIDAR (laser light measurement), or sensor loops to measure how fast the vehicle is moving as it passes a calibrated point.
When a vehicle exceeds the posted limit, the system initiates an image or video capture.
Once a vehicle commits a violation, high-resolution cameras capture the registration plate and automatic number plate recognition software
Analyzes the image using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and matches it with the registered vehicle data.
Together, these technologies compile essential evidence such as speed, date or time, location, and vehicle plate for enforcement and processing.
What happens after data is captured?
Once the system detects a violation the image and metadata, including speed, time and location, are recorded.
ANPR identifies the vehicle and links it to the owner. A review is conducted at the Central Enforcement Processing Unit, and an SMS alert is sent with details and payment instructions.
Who monitors the system?
The duty of the Vehicle Inspection Service under the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation is to oversee the digital traffic enforcement system.
Violations detected through ITS are reviewed at a central processing center where trained staff verify them before issuing notices.
In the case of the Third Mainland Bridge CCTV, federal officials have acknowledged that the data is fed into a control center manned by
real time monitoring.
How are fines issued?
Lagos officials said the system will send SMS notifications directly to the registered owner of the vehicle giving details of the violation
And instead of stopping on the spot, officers impose fixed fines.
According to thegovernor.ng, the current fine under the ITS enforcement regime is said to be N50,000 for speed limit violation, N20,000 for running red lights or similar traffic offences.
Officials say the policy is about road safety and accident reduction, not revenue generation.
How long is the data stored?
Although authorities have not publicly outlined specific data retention periods for Lagos's ITS cameras, systems such as ANPR typically store images and violation details for a sufficient period of time to allow dispute resolution and legal compliance.
According to Wikipedia, this can range from several months to a year or more, depending on privacy laws and enforcement policies.
