Lagos, the commercial hub of Africa is becoming a tough city to reside in. The recent ban of Okada and Keke Napep in certain locations even makes it more difficult for residents. No Opay, no Gokada, no Maxng. That sounds terrible!
Before now, one of the easiest way to beat the traffic gridlock in the city is to engage the services of ehailing bikes and Okada riders. Ironically, the Lagos State Government sees those services as the biggest reason for traffic build up in Lagos.
The measure is still a work in progress as there hasn’t been any significant result with regards to mitigating the traffic. With the current ban, the question is how do residents get to their work places and destinations without wasting so much time while commuting.
Here are few tips on how to survive the traffic in Lagos:
Use Lara.ng: The platform gives you direction to anywhere in Lagos. It is good for new residents who are yet to know the nooks and crannies of Lagos. At least having a mental picture or direction of where you are going to helps you to save some time. Just access the platform via Google search.
Leaving home early: Traffic in Lagos sets in as early as 7am. If you must get to your work place by 8am, then, you have no reason to leave one our earlier. You need to leave 2 hours before 8am. Always give 2 hours ahead.
Always wind up your car windows: Sometimes we underestimate certain things like keeping our cars in check before leaving the house, and even winding up the car windows. Traffic jams in Lagos can also be traced to beggars and hawkers on the street. Nobody disturbs you when your car window in windup.
Use BRT Buses: Lagos State Government rolled out sophisticated BRT buses that makes you feel relaxed. Even when you are on traffic, you do not feel the heat so much.
This is simply because there are air conditioners in those BRT buses. They have special lanes on Lagos roads and that makes it easy for them to avoid traffic.
Listen to Traffic Radio/Programmes: Interestingly, the Lagos State Government had on May 29, 2012 launched the Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1FM to give Lagosians situation report on traffic. This station gives data on other routes and locations where the traffic is worse. It is extremely significant to understand the time frame when traffic build up the most.
Use your Phone to Monitor Traffic on Social Media: Your smartphone could be a perfect device to monitor traffic situation in Lagos. In fact, there are social media handles that provide true traffic updates daily, follow them and monitor their updates. With these, you can map your routes.
Listen to GoodMusic: When you’re stuck in traffic, you can occupy your mind with music while you wait or even listen to educational messages or audio. Good music or good audio content will soothe you and decrease the mental anxiety you go through in traffic.