Five effective ways to survive Lagos traffic stress

Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial city, is known for its notorious traffic gridlock. With a growing population of about 21 million people, traffic stress remains a problem many residents battle with on a daily basis.

From the common commercial bus ‘danfo’ dramas to a five-hour standstill gridlock, follow these five tips, and save yourself from the popular Lagos traffic stress;

Leave home early

Lagos traffic is unpredictable. Even when your destination is but only 30-minutes drive away from your home; it is advised you set out early to avoid being stuck in traffic.

This way, you’re most likely to arrive at your designation earlier, instead of later. Try sort out whatever might delay you from setting out a night before your outing.

Listen to traffic radio/programmes

One sure way to monitor traffic is by listening to radio stations and programmes dedicated to traffic reports. Armed with necessary information, you can easily choose which route to ply and avoid the already congested routes.

Let the music flow

Listening to your favourite music is another way to keep your cool in Lagos traffic. If you’re taking a commercial bus, you should make it a point of duty to take your headset or earpiece along. You don’t want to disturb other passengers on the bus and kindle another stress-inducing experience.

Enjoy the gridlock as you bob your head and tap your feet to your favourite soundtrack on the go.

Binge watch social media skits

This applies only if you’re not behind the wheel. With the rise of hilarious comedy skits on social media, one way to survive Lagos traffic is to watch top comedians keep a smile glued to face or leave you cracking your ribs despite being stuck in a gridlock.

Instagram, Twitter and Facebook communities provide a long list of videos, and pictures that will take your mind off your present situation.

Listen to an audiobook

If you are a book lover and stay in Lagos, then you should get an audiobook app. Apps like ‘Audible’ provides you with an array of classic literature and modern books you should listen to reduce your stress level in traffic.

Complete a mobile task

Mobile tasks are projects you can easily complete from the comfort of your smartphones. However, you can only do this when you’re not the person driving.  Mobile applications such as Google Docs, PDF readers can be used for some of these tasks.