Traffic Jam in Lagos State, Nigeria
TRAFFIC JAM IN LAGOS STATE, CAUSES AND EFFECTS
INTRODUCTION
Traffic Jam is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times and increased vehicular queuing.
There are all sorts of things that give Lagos a bad name. If it’s not the heaps of rubbish on the roads or the unwelcome attention you get from area boys and armed robbers, then it’s the epileptic power supply. But these aren't really a problem if you're rich enough to buy a car with heavily tinted windows, live in a relatively crime free area and get a generator. The one thing that you can't get away from (unless you are drawing megawatts of power from the political grid and can get your own siren to blast your way through) is that ubiquity of the Lagos landscape, the Traffic Jam.
Indeed, analysts are in agreement that the one-hour lost daily on the roads in major areas in Lagos State is unquantifiable. Successive governments had adopted various strategies to address this major challenge.
For instance in the early 70s, the administration of Brigadier-General Mobolaji Johnson (rtd) and General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) upgraded Carter Bridge to address the then ever increasing traffic jam from the Mainland to Lagos Island. It also built the Eko bridge linking Surulere to Lagos Island, Agege Motor Road, Apapa – Oshodi expressway, Badagry expressway and also started the process for the construction of the Third Mainland Bridge. Despite these measures, the menace is yet to be fully contained. Not even the present administration in the state has been spared the trauma of the daily snarl on the roads.
Some traffic hot spots of Lagos include:
* Oshodi: This is perhaps one of the busiest roads in the Lagos metropolis.
* Third Mainland bridge: Because it one of the major link to the Island, it is always jam packed during rush hour.
* Victoria Island: Some of the roads in the Victoria Island are always jammed with vehicular movement, some of these roads include
INTRODUCTION
Traffic Jam is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times and increased vehicular queuing.
There are all sorts of things that give Lagos a bad name. If it’s not the heaps of rubbish on the roads or the unwelcome attention you get from area boys and armed robbers, then it’s the epileptic power supply. But these aren't really a problem if you're rich enough to buy a car with heavily tinted windows, live in a relatively crime free area and get a generator. The one thing that you can't get away from (unless you are drawing megawatts of power from the political grid and can get your own siren to blast your way through) is that ubiquity of the Lagos landscape, the Traffic Jam.
Indeed, analysts are in agreement that the one-hour lost daily on the roads in major areas in Lagos State is unquantifiable. Successive governments had adopted various strategies to address this major challenge.
For instance in the early 70s, the administration of Brigadier-General Mobolaji Johnson (rtd) and General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) upgraded Carter Bridge to address the then ever increasing traffic jam from the Mainland to Lagos Island. It also built the Eko bridge linking Surulere to Lagos Island, Agege Motor Road, Apapa – Oshodi expressway, Badagry expressway and also started the process for the construction of the Third Mainland Bridge. Despite these measures, the menace is yet to be fully contained. Not even the present administration in the state has been spared the trauma of the daily snarl on the roads.
Some traffic hot spots of Lagos include:
* Oshodi: This is perhaps one of the busiest roads in the Lagos metropolis.
* Third Mainland bridge: Because it one of the major link to the Island, it is always jam packed during rush hour.
* Victoria Island: Some of the roads in the Victoria Island are always jammed with vehicular movement, some of these roads include
References: Adedimila, A. S., (1981). “Toward improving traffic flow in Lagos”, Transportation in Nigeria National development. Edited by S. O. Onakomaiya, NISER, Ibadan. Anderson, B., (1993). “A survey of the Swiss Public transport system and policy”, Transport Reviews 13(1): 61-81. Andrew, D., (2004). “The world’s worst traffic jams”, Time magazine. Retrieved on 10/06/2009. Hermann, K., (2006). “A new way to organize parking: the key to a successful sustainable transport system for future”, Environment and Urbanization, 18 (2): 387 – 400. Business Day Newspaper (2010): “Lagos’ failed road get attention, Posted on Tuesday, June 19th 2010, Pp. 40. Daily Independent Newspaper (2012): “Metro, Posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2012, Pp. 26 – 27.