Let’s get one factor straight: Lagos visitors is wild. Whether or not you are a CEO, a younger prayer warrior, or an aged father or mother visiting your baby in Lagos for the primary time, Lagos visitors will take a look at you.
It is actually not shocking that many individuals usually seek advice from town because the visitors capital of Nigeria. However what if we informed you that this chaotic badge of dishonour could also be just a little exaggerated?
Sure, Lagos visitors is unhealthy. However is it really as hopeless and soul-destroying as everybody makes it out to be, each single time? Or have all of us jumped on the trauma-sharing bandwagon only for the sake of it?
Let’s break down why Lagos visitors could be extra overhyped than it’s insufferable.
ALSO READ: Lagos State loses ₦1 trillion yearly to traffic gridlock
Not All of Lagos Is in Gridlock
Opposite to common perception, not each nook of Lagos is a everlasting automotive park. Areas like Yaba, Surulere, components of Ikeja and even components of Lekki can transfer easily – particularly throughout non-peak hours or weekends. Nevertheless, the horror tales from Third Mainland Bridge or Ikorodu Street, which garner essentially the most social media consideration, create the impression that in all places is a multitude 24/7. It’s merely not true.
Many individuals now dwell nearer to their workplaces or work remotely, and with smarter commuting methods, the expertise is slowly shifting.
A Lot of It Is Poor Planning – Not the Metropolis Itself
Sure, Lagos is overcrowded, however what actually makes visitors hellish is usually poor private planning. Individuals who insist on driving throughout rush hour, on routes they know are clogged, often fail to verify visitors updates or discover options like ferries, ride-hailing bikes, or versatile hours.
There’s additionally the problem of our obsession with non-public automobiles—extra automobiles = extra visitors. However think about if extra individuals embraced BRTs, carpooling, and even the Lagos Blue Line rail. Do you not assume it’s going to considerably cut back visitors? Out of the blue, town will begin to breathe.
Tech is Altering the Recreation
Apps like Google Maps, Gokada, LagRide, and even WhatsApp neighborhood visitors alerts have modified how Lagosians transfer. Right now, many residents are discovering methods to beat visitors by way of real-time route adjustments or switching to ride-hailing bikes that zoom previous gridlock.
In contrast to the “sit and undergo” days of previous, a tech-savvy commuter now has choices. So whereas visitors exists, it is changing into extra of a navigable inconvenience than a life-consuming monster.
Different Cities Are Simply as Unhealthy – If Not Worse
Earlier than you drag Lagos, strive driving in Port Harcourt in the course of the rains, Abuja throughout main roadblocks, or Onitsha throughout market hours. Lagos isn’t distinctive in its visitors struggles. It simply has higher advertising, because of memes, skits, and Twitter threads that amplify each gridlocked second.
We’ve turned Lagos visitors right into a model. However the reality is, each rising metropolis wrestles with congestion. It simply appears completely different.
ALSO READ: How to stay fresh in Nigeria even with Lagos traffic and NEPA wahala
So, Is Lagos Visitors Overrated?
Possibly not fully. But it surely’s undoubtedly not as universally horrific because the narrative makes it appear. The reality is, your Lagos visitors expertise depends upon your timing, your location, your flexibility, and your decisions.
