Why The Lagos Traffic Situation Has Worsened

By Mosimileoluwa Alabi

26 November 2019

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Gridlocks in Lagos can be so intense that a simple journey from Mushin to Yaba can take up to an hour. This is a trip that generally isn't supposed to last more than 20 minutes.

Lagosians living on the Mainland dread going to the Island because they could spend hours on the road.

Recently, my cousin had a conference to attend at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island. The meeting was scheduled to start at 11:00 am. My cousin left his house in Surulere by 6 am with the hope that at most he would get to Victoria Island by 7:30 am or 8:00 am. He ended up getting there at 11:30.

He spent 5 freaking hours on the road. Guess why? The Almighty Lagos Traffic decided to joke with his plans. Do not scream yet. The time he spent from Surulere to Victoria Island is close to the time it takes to complete a flight from Lagos to London!! Not only did he waste time on the road, he lost the contract he was supposed to seal. Sad story, yeah? This and many more trail the hellish traffic situation in Lagos.

Lagosians continue to lament and ask why their plans are always being truncated due to the terror Lagos traffic has continued to unleash.

Welcome to Lagos - the traffic capital of Nigeria.

Lagos has been described as the third stressful city in the world and not only does traffic congestion frustrate commuters, the noise and environmental pollution from this congestion take its toll on their health as well. The stress Lagosians go through in traffic daily is most times reflected in their attitude and reaction towards people when a dispute arises. A lot of Lagosians have considered relocating to other states but the job opportunities in Africa?s fifth-largest economy are too enticing to resist.

A traffic-congested road in Lagos

The question is why has the Lagos traffic situation worsened over the years?

We all know that the city is unhealthily crowded, despite being the smallest state in the country, but the traffic situation of Lagos has never been this bad. It has been alleged that you could buy all your household items by spending one day in Lagos traffic. The degree of traffic congestion in the city may make one consider leaving their car in the traffic and taking a long walk home. It is so bad that motorcycles are not left out of this predicament as they, too, get stuck sometimes in the congestion.

1. One of the reasons why the traffic situation in Lagos has worsened is the fact that people move towards the same direction around the same time of the day because major companies/industries in the city are located around the same axis.

This is why the biggest congestions happen around mornings (when people go to work) and evenings (when they return). Even BRT could not fix this problem. If only workers could resume and close at different times unlike the regular 8 to 5, then there might be some changes. Someone once said Lagos traffic is not for the lily-livered.

2. Another reason Lagos traffic has worsened is that Lagos road users are very intolerant and often disobey traffic rules.

Driving in Lagos requires a lot of patience. Many times, traffic congestion has been caused by a road user not giving way to another road user. Some would even try to maneuver a very tight corner, get stuck and thereby causing other road users to create a traffic queue. A very typical example is when a road that is normally supposed to have 3 lanes becomes 6 lanes because everyone is in a hurry to make it in time to their various destinations. This would continue till it gets to a point where the road narrows down to probably a lane or 2 may be due to an intersection from the way the road was constructed. You would then begin to see road users scrambling to fit into the 2 lanes. As this is happening, people who are on the original lane refuse to give access to the drivers on the ?illegal? lanes. While some might grant access, the danfo and ?Keke Maruwa? guys would just rush in like they own the road giving rise to ?extra? traffic.

Road users should be continuously enlightened on traffic laws and the penalties for flouting such laws.

Lagos road users creating "illegal lanes"

Let this article guide you on how to survive traffic congestion in Lagos.

3. The dilapidated condition of the roads and poor drainage system are some of the major reasons why the traffic situation in Lagos has worsened.

In a short interaction with Nathan Oguntuberu, a computer scientist working in Magodo, he said: ?There is hardly any road in Lagos without a porthole, even the so-called ?expressways?, have a bad portion.?

The situation of the roads even worsens during the rainy season as they become flooded due to portholes and blocked drainages. Last month, about 5 heavy duty trucks fell on Mushin Road within a week, due to the deplorable state of the roads, compounded by rainfall. This led to heavy traffic congestion and hike in the prices of transport fares.

4. The problem of on-street parking and other forms of road trading activities are another leading cause of the unending Lagos traffic congestion.

The number of cars parked by the roadsides in Lagos is becoming quite alarming. Lagosians have continued to turn the road to their garage. This leads to reduction in the size of the road, resulting in congestion. Sometimes, moving vehicles queue behind such vehicles thinking they are also moving, not knowing that they have been parked there for long. Most times, we cannot totally put the blame on these car owners. Landlords have made it a habit of building houses with little or no parking space. They would want to fuel their selfish needs by using a half plot of land to build a three-story building, each floor having about 4 flats.

Let us then move to the issue of traders that turn the road to shopping centers. They do this without fear and when you try to caution them, they begin to exude so much confidence that you begin to wonder if you said the wrong thing. A typical example is the Ipodo Road in Ikeja that has somehow been transformed into ?Ipodo Market?. This road is supposed to link Ikeja Underbridge to Cornerrest Hotel and other roads but has now been overtaken by road-side traders, thereby being one of the major causes of traffic congestion in that area.

The tale of unending traffic caused by road traders

5. Some people even turn roads to event centers.

They organize parties and block vehicular movements. Lagosians just have a way to making everything seem like their property.

6. Over-dependence on road transportation is another reason for the increasing traffic congestion in the city.

The traffic situation in Lagos is a product of improper planning and the population congestion in the city and no government has been able to find a lasting solution to it.

Traffic congestion would continue to remain a plaguing feature in Lagos until these issues are rectified.

In the meantime, do not let the traffic situation in Lagos deter you from attending the Top music concerts and festivals going down in Lagos this December.

If you plan on getting away from the hassle in Lagos, read on the best time for Nigerians to visit London.

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