It is normal to hear people visiting Lagos complain about how vehicular traffic jam is their biggest concern whenever they visit Nigeria’s de-facto business capital. The state’s transportation system is going through a reformation phase, with the construction of modern bus stations in key locations in the state and the recent acquisition of new buses to the current fleet of the state owned transportation service.
To improve the road network and driving experience on Lagos roads, the government is carrying out road maintenance and construction of new bridges. However short-lived, this development is having serious adverse effects on motorists and commuters who spend more time and pay more especially along routes prone to traffic.
Morning and evening rush hours cause transportation fees to get jacked up and bike transporters ferry hurrying passengers in some cases charge triple of what buses demand.
The state-owned BRT service which maintains a fixed and stable fare is currently unable to adequately cater to the market demand.
Some of the roads that experience severe traffic on a daily basis include; Ikorodu road, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Lagos-Abeokuta road, Agege road, Mile 2-Orile expresway.
Speaking with Yusuf Oyewale a commercial driver, who plies the Oshodi- Egbeda route,he said, “the traffic is mainly due to the construction work going on, the current state of certain parts of the road is poor, it makes passage difficult for vehicles, thereby making us spend more time, energy and petrol. This is what causes the increase in price of transportation, when there is less traffic we charge as low as 150 naira, when there is rush and traffic logjam we charge 250 naira to Egbeda from Oshodi to compensate for time loss.
We hope the work is completed fast.”
BizWatchNigeria spoke with Mimi Samuel, a commuter along the same route on her experience, she said, “I spend longer time at the bus stop, I pay more on transportation, sometimes, I use bike rider (okada) service, which costs so much, but, it’s quicker, though dangerous..
“I look forward to when the road construction is completed and life returns to normal in terms of how much I pay daily for transportation.”
The current construction work going on along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway is part of the Lagos State Government’s creation of dedicated lanes for its transportation service along that corridor.
Similarly, the bridge construction at Agege will improve the traffic situation in the axis and hopefully prices will go back to being fair and stable.
