God Punish Traffic
Posted on Monday, May 16th, 2011 at 12:32 PMBy Glory Edozien
I don’t know which is more annoying, watching the way most Lagosians drive or watching an unsuspecting driver dig into their nostrils while waiting in stand still traffic. How a normally, 30-minute journey can take up to 2 or even 3 hours during peak time is enough to make anyone loose their minds on a Monday morning.
There are various reasons why our Lagos roads are more congested than the arteries of a heart attack patient. Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of well over 10 million residents (recent statistics put this number closer to 18 million), and the number is growing daily. It is likely that at least 50% or more of this population owns at least one vehicle or more. Our previous leaders have shown little foresight in terms of road development or in seeking alternate means of transport to road. Most growing cities have multiple means of transportation from rail, to water and even electronic trams like Amsterdam. But regardless of Lagos relative affluence and colossal population growth, we are reliant on one form of transportation-road. As if this wasn’t enough, basic urban planning principles have been ignored as the city expanded outwards from its core. Instead of ensuring that adequate infrastructural developments such as schools, commercial, retail and leisure developments are located within close proximity to large scale residential developments, we have cases where residents travel for miles before getting to their place of work. The results are evident. Chaos and anarchy on the road as frustrated Lagosians go about their daily lives.
Regardless of these issues, Lagosians themselves do not help the situation. Our impatience and bid to outdo or outrun the next driver also upscale traffic issues. Sometimes, I really do believe that some Lagosians have taken complete leave of their senses when they get behind the wheel, from driving in-between two lanes, deliberately flouting right of way laws, and taking one way lanes when the mood takes them. I mean are you in such a hurry to get to work that you are willing to risk your life and the life of fellow passengers to get there? Do you really have that much spare cash that you are willing to take off the bumper of a Land Rover Sports car, just because you can’t wait five seconds for him to reverse? Is your destination really that important that you are prepared to cut right in front of a petrol tanker? These are questions Lagosians should ask themselves daily!
The other day, as I drove home in the peak of Lagos traffic, I heard a loud bump at the back of my car. As I made to get out of my vehicle and inspect closely, I noticed a red jeep move quickly in the other direction. At first I thought nothing of it, until I noticed red paint lodged into the corner of my now disfigured dark grey bumper. To say I was angry would be an understatement. I experienced a surge of negative emotion that till today I find difficult to describe. I jumped back into my car and began to wade through the dense traffic on Falomo bridge in a bid to spot this hit and run driver. A few minutes later and after some helpful pointers from some Okada drivers, I spotted the red jeep, attempting to make a right into Bourdillon Road. Without thinking, I cut him off right at the entrance and came out of my car just as he began to get out of his.
Before his feet touched the ground, the young man proceeded to rain insults on me. I must have been foaming at the mouth because I couldn’t hear a word of what he said. All I caught was something about me not knowing how to drive and how I must think I am somebody because my sugar daddy bought me a car. It took all the home training my family had instilled in me not to slap the teeth out of his mouth. Instead, I told him that it was his wife’s sugar daddy who was paying his house rent, that was the cause of his foolishness. I refused to move from the spot until my mechanic, whose workshop is in Ikoyi, arrived with the estimate of how much it would cost to fix my car.
Everyday, I get behind the steering wheel, I have to pray. Lagos roads are filled with obstacles. It obviously isn’t enough that one has to maneuver through congested roads and irate drivers, we also have to contend with tankers that move at 3km/hr, okada riders, wheelbarrow pushers, unnecessary police and LASTMA check points and even horse riders! Like really? Where is the end to this suffering? A colleague of mine barely gets to see his two kids because he spends almost 3 hours on the road for each journey he makes to work. Where is the joy of earning a salary, if you spend half of your life wading through thick torrents of traffic everyday?
While the continuing migration of Lagos is set to continue and with more people buying cars everyday, it does seem that our traffic woes are far from over. So, I would like to use this avenue to plead with our returning Governor, Governor Fashola. You will be forever immortalized in our minds if you can bring an end to this issue, or at least significantly ease the pressure on our roads. God bless you as you do so!
Tags: Glory Edozien, Lagos Traffic
something need to be done very fast especially for all island route.
You must have been frustrated just like me. As i put it during my presentation with Sarah Lacy at d showcase of http://traffic.com.ng (which is now quoted on techcrunch.com) we dying gradually everyday in Lagos traffic. An intelligent technological solution to reduce was the motivation behind the solution. I believe BRF is also thinkin and sure will do something abt it.
Well written, Glory. I look forward to more articles like this on the Lagos experience.
Nice article. Well written.
And nice one about the wife’s sugar daddy! Lol.
True talk my sister-the traffic situation in lagos is so terrible, the annoying part of it is that at the end of the day you just can’t spot out the reason for the congested traffic. If any thing needs to be attended to ASAP it is electricity and TRAFFIC in lagos. BRF we are eagerly waiting o!
I think the Lagos State Government should continue to work on alternative means of transportation as it has been doing.
When we have them (and I mean when they are running safe and efficiently), the Lagos State Government should institute congestion charges on all private automobiles within the busy areas of the city on work days. It would require a lot: ICT, supporting infrastructure, personnel, perhaps even re-licensing vehicles etc. But in the end, it would reduce vehicular traffic, residents would only drive their cars on weekends and take the train or buses on weekdays.
One of the major reasons for bad traffic in Lagos is the state of the roads – BRF has been in post for 4 years and whilst there has been some minor improvements in the state of some of the roads, there doesn’t seem to be the whole scale approach to unclogging major arteries of traffic in Lagos. The fact that the roads in Ikoyi where BRF lives are totally messed up is too shameful!
The solution will involve using water and rail to reduce the pressure on the roads and being committed to a workable urban plan for Lagos rather than spending millions on a ‘new Lagos city’
Only in Nigeria would a trailer or tanker driver honk his horn and “trafficate” furiously to indicate he wants to overtake a sports sedan? Funny enough the tanker driver had a “Speed Kills” sticker with a huge skeleton head on his rear bumper. What a bone head.
Where is everyone always in a rush to? Obviously there is work to be done, bills to pay, places to go, people to see. But I am sure you will agree with me that some people rush for the hell of it. Some drivers seem to have a thing against allowing other cars into the space in front of them.
Sometimes if you stop to ask for directions, the chap in the car behind starts blaring his horn incessantly. The look on their face when they overtake your car for time-wasting is like Medusa’s stone cold stare. There was this Indian expatriate worker who experienced this behaviour. He got lost in Lagos Island while trying to get to an appointment. He stopped several times to ask people for directions, much to the irritation of the cars behind whose drivers rained insults and tooted their horns loudly. On one occasion, the driver of a taxi-cab who got tired of the Indian’s stop and go driving, angrily over-took him, and gave him the waka sign. The Indian chap thought the taxi driver was saying hi.
Fuel scarcity periods are worse; I have seen a car shove another car away in bumper car fashion, in order to move closer to the gas pump? It was like watching a NASCAR rally. Or playing Motorstorm on PS 3 with real cars.
Meanwhile a couple of motorists were having a scuffle with the petrol pump attendant with like 15 people all trying to grab the nozzle. Fuel was flying everywhere in spurts. All that was needed was for that Indonesian 2-year old chain smoking toddler to appear with his lit cigarette, to create a big action movie blow-up scene by Jerry Bruckheimer. Patience, people.
Sometimes the same person who over-sped recklesslyor swerved and overtook your car, as he blared his horns impatiently, is likely to the same person you see holding up traffic up the road without any consideration, as he stops to buy Gala from a roadside hawker or chat with a pedestrian friend.
But really how much of a hurry are you in, to risk your life or everything you own and love? Is it worth it, trying to cut off a 1000 tonne sand tipper who is trying to enter your lane in go-slow. Back off before you put your family in all black everything.
http://woahnigeria.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/going-nowhere-fast/
jUST SO YOU KNOW, STOPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS IS ALSO WRONG!
Yeah…of course…seeing as ALL the streets in Lagos are very well labelled….or wait…he should have just used his SATNAV right?
kai lwkmd , true talk. glory i’ve missed your articles oo
Lol @ horse riders! For where?!
NOT looking forward to that!
I’m going to visit soon so I guess I have to prepare myself for this eh? I think I’ll shoot myself if I have to be in a car 2/3hours for a 30min drive
The Lagos State Government should complement the BRT buses with smaller buses and expand the take-off and drop-off routes especially for Island bound passengers. This may go a long way to reduce vehicular traffic to the Island. I know a lot of people who will gladly drop their cars at home if they can conveniently get to work, move around and go back home with buses that are clean and timely.
Also the government should partner with private investors to build multi-storey car parks in designated areas of the city. This will ease off the major traffic experienced on the Island.
Sadly many Nigerians have poor driving skills and there is need to constantly remind drivers on the dangers posed to other road when they become careless. I have noticed an appalling disregard for life in Nigeria and a lot need to be done by individuals and the government to reduce avoidable road accidents.
LmaO @ the wife’s sugar daddy part.
Traffic in Lag will forever be! considering the number of pple in & outa Lag everyday. BRF (tested & trusted) is working to find lasting solution to this and other puzzle unsolved in Lag. let’s support him with our prayers…
lol @ title…that rili set the mood. True talk, Glory, when you say there is no joy in earning a salary, having a nice house and loving family when you see them once a week on Sunday, coz u spend the rest of your life in traffic. My significant other wakes up at 4:30 am to leave the mainland, beat traffic and get to work on the island by 7:30 am…needless to say, this is very frustrating and annoying, seeing as I live in another country and we have very limited together! Fashola has my prayers and intercession…the madness must stop! or at least get better…
This is why I can’t live in Lagos. PH is getting to that level too, which SUCKS BIG TIME!!!!!
so, on point,. xcellent piece,,,,,just sayin
I wish you also added that yes it was his wife’s sugar daddy that bought the car, now back to the issue in Lagos its not just the number of cars but the fact that no new roads are being constructed, no traffic laws, no traffic lights, no test to evaluate new drivers skill and ability or to test their knowledge as soon as you can move a vehicle you pay for a driver’s licence you are allowed to jump on the road, God help Nigeria
I beg to differ. There is a great deal of inadequacy ’cause the governor’s making amends in a few years for damage done over decades, but there are new roads being constructed, abandoned roads being refurbished, traffic lights are coming up everywhere, and there are traffic laws with mobile courts. This is a public forum which anyone can find. It’s understandable to get frustrated & carried away, but let’s try to state facts.
Thanks for the facts, on my last trip home I did not see any a copule of weeks back. God help Nigeria
it is africa for u….i hail u guys who live in nija
Worst Places to drive in nigeria are: 1. Kano 2. Abuja 3. Lagos I have driven in all three. As a young female driver, i’ve been forced to be a man behind the wheels. To say it’s frustrating driving in this country is an understatement. I’ve once been in traffic from 6pm till 1am in lag, that was just the height for me. In asmuch as i agree 101% that lagos driving is terrible, abuja is even worse cos if you quickly cut the head of ur car in lag, most drivers stop, try that in abj if you don’t have your entire bumper cleared out, check out the daily accident rates, amazing! In places like abuja, it’s a race track with majority of the roads good.I’ve still not seen where drivers speed like abuja. Kano and extreme north on the other hand will drive you crazy with all the okadas and illiterate drivers. something really has to happen.we’re not just impatient drivers, but unruly too, cutting every corner and all that but you know what?i won’t blame anyone.our leaders who are meant to be examples are the worst law breakers on the road, from beating traffic to beating people!(i’m not justifying our bad habits on the road, but where you are goverened by wrong people who set no good example, what do we expect?)
i live in abuja..but its nothing compared to Lagos when it comes to traffic..if its speeding i agree abuja peeps top the list cos almost all d roads in town are good and people decide to turn it to racing grounds.,esp at night
thank God there are no bikes in abj again,those demons in d name of okada riders were the major cause of accidents,now u just have to compete with stupid and impatient bus or car drivers..and abj seems to get better concerning the traffic in certain areas cos of the constant road expansion, in different places in abuja.which is good,but again they become racing grounds..i have never spent up to an hour in traffic in abj,probably cos i stay in town,but i know those on d outskirts like lubge,kubwa,nanya and airport road tend to spend time on traffic..
but lagos and traffic?smh.. i will NEVER drive in lagos..fortunately all the times i have visited i didnt have to drive.
Very True. I hope to fly in thru Abuja interanational airport on my next trip and is all because of the Lagos traffic. I don’t know how Lagosians do it. 405 fwy traffic is nothing compare to the Lagos traffic. I think is time to build more highways in Lagos.
nice article, however it isnt just Amsterdam that has adopted the tram system. most european cities have a good network of light rail and tram connected to the municapal buses and underground system. just saying.
She clearly said: “MOST growing cities have multiple means of transportation from rail, to water and even electronic trams, LIKE Amsterdam.”
LIKE Amsterdam, meaning “for example”. Just saying.
This transportation issue is just like the power issue, no SYSTEMS,no infrastructure,no common sense. I think transportation in Lagos require mass transport systems like trains and more! Most people own cars in Nigeria because they have to and also to show off mostly ( I am all for having wealth, money, cars) however why would one person have 5cars as in seriously. I am not saying don’t have cars. Our problem is simply our cultural mindset which plagues us in many aspects of live…(I shall not go further..lol)
If the government are reading this please repair our roads, provide mass transportation within lagos and interstate as well hence reducing people who are moving to lagos to live. e.g if I leave in Abeokuta I don’t have to live in Lagos to go to work, I can just take the train and be on my way. This will reduce cars on roads and pollution as well.
The government should introduce a Driving Standard Agency of some sort that regulates drivers and cars too. If your car is not roadworthy don’t drive it, let people pay premiums to insurance companies and let the government (DSA). This will reduce accidents, breakdowns, “wrecked cars”, and more. The program should contain a proper driving tests theory and practical. The law should be introduced properly whereby it becomes a criminal offence to break driving /road laws and create social awareness about it too for re-educating Nigerians. All this would not be possible if you can track people down so DSA will also hold peoples details, personal details, car registration and more. This require sitting down and thinking it through.
I know some of my ideas might seem quite harsh or a little farfetched but I believe it’s possible other countries are doing it (and please don’t give me we are not other countries nonsense….we are human beings and so they are too) We deserve the best from our leaders and each other. If we can adopt some of these ideas or try them out we can save more lives each year, reduce accidents and by the way all this things mentioned above create jobs and puts money back into the economy.
it might take more than 20years to get round Nigeria but it means we are heading the right route to a greater future.
To Drivers: Value HUMAN LIFE…your job will sack you if you kill someone!!!
Peace
Nowhere beats Kano when it comes to reckless, survival- of- the- fittest driving. Lagos is like…….well……..pre-school, Kano, graduate school. Ask anyone who’s lived or been to kano or lagos for this comparison. Kano takes the cake
LOL..I knew someone that writes this good would definitely have a smart mouth.what a comeback.loool..good one.
But electric tram?hmmm,common light we dont have…fashola would just collapse
lmao @ the indian guy story! spreading all 5 fingers at anyone can only mean hi anywhere else in the world. lwtmbfh!
Very well-written article.
I feel that if you can learn to drive in Lagos, there is no where in the world you cant drive. Its like a war-zone out there sometimes…
I live in abuja nd d way ppl fly is crazy, d minute I notice ny irate block head driver flyin towards me I jst chill nd let dem fly ahead. I refuse to die @ my tender succulent young age.
lol @ wife’s sugar daddy….heehehehehe
…#cool!…
lol @ I refuse to die @ my tender succulent young age.
now, can we have a bite?
The three teams vying for the number one spot are: The Driving Demons of Lagos; The Flying Witches of Abuja and the Road Muntulas of Kano. On your marks, set, GO! God bless anyone who sticks his head or foot in the wrong place, and devil take anyone who sends their under-ten-year-olds to cross the racetrack by themselves on their way to school…and lest i forget there is a place called Aba in Abia State where people call potholes, what should be called lakes…whether they are lakes full of ‘algaelised’ water or a mixture of that special kind of water and rotting garbage. U must swim through these blessed waters in your car, new or old to get to where u must go, or else place your self under house arrest. The choice is yours. Nigeria is a mixture of different road flavours. Enjoy it.
Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LooooooooL..i love this comment
sheet i live in lagos. I had to move across town to be closer to my job. I thought Dubai drivers were absolutely useless, Nigerian drivers kick that up a notch. totally ridiculous.
Well said Glory. Its amazing how senseless Lagos drivers can invoke road rage in you. The rage takes over you and it is almost as if your eyes change colour, you lose control of yourself and turn into the incredible hulk. I, for one am tired of lagos drivers bashing my car and then begging me to forgive and forget. This kind of forgiveness is expensive o.
I have fantasied and been tempted to buy a baseball bat to inflict similar damage to the cars of motorists that bash my car and wonder if they too will forgive but that would be taking it to far. On a lighter note, i found that a water gun filled with a ketchup/water solution for the silly okada drivers that think they have duplicate lives waiting at home is much more fun.
LWTMBFH!!!! I can’t stop laughing at ur comment!……. Incredible Hulk! That’s a good one! I’ve also fantasized about the baseball bat thing too!
ekooo oni baje for real.
Hmmmm! Lagos, our dear Lagos, everybody in Lagos is in a hurry to do everything, to wake up, to bathe, to eat, to move even to go home and sleep, there is no slow or dull moment in lagos! The Lastma and the Police men are not just helping matters at all, they are too busy harassing innocent citizen to do their job, Fashola is really trying cos the work load is enormous but he does need to look at the suburbs too and not just concentrate on the city centre.The Danfo drivers are maniacs, even the BRT drivers are no better speeding as if they are flying in the air!All I can say is lets hope one day e go better, but we as citizens have to do our bit cos in Naija especially Lagos, na Gragra all the way!
Wow.
Been a long time that one have not read BellaNaija.
Nice posts, always. Keep it up.
@ Glory ‘watching an unsuspecting driver dig into their nostrils while waiting in stand still traffic’
For those heading towards okoko and badagry on Badagry expressway;spending at least 6hours on the road daily has become a normal phenomenon.
Good thing a light train project and a ten lane road has commenced.
As for people driving with their brains in their boots,the only solution is for the law enforcement officers to do their jobs instead of chasing bribes.
http://lifethroughomaseyes.blogspot.com