Six ways to survive, evade Lagos traffic

The reality of the term, “Lagos traffic” is easily one of the most hellish features of the coastal city of Lagos. You’ll agree that being stuck in Lagos traffic can be anyone’s worst nightmare. This is because the nature of a typical gridlock in the city can take hours to decongest.

So how can one evade traffic in a city that’s preset by the standard of its population to be congested?

• Set out to your destination early

Remember how your primary school teacher emphasized, ‘an early bird catches the early worm?’ Lagos traffic is an excellent ground to implement this tool of cultivating punctuality.

To conveniently beat traffic, work out the timing of your next and head out at least two hours before the scheduled time.

Although arguably, setting out early might not guarantee beating the traffic completely, but at least you’ll be arriving at your destination on time.

• Study your daily route

Understand your most-commuted route. How long does it typically take you to arrive at your destination from your take-off point?

By taking into consideration the factors playing out during your daily commute, you’ll be better equipped to avoid rush hours; which predominantly lead to gridlock.

Commuters may also want to compare every available option between public and private transportation by placing their pros and cons side-by-side.

• Familiarize Yourself with a Map application

Map-reading truly can be confusing but this shouldn’t be a reason not to understand how maps work. 

Certain map applications like Google Maps are apt in translating the estimated duration of a journey, as well as displaying possible gridlock: a guardian angel to avoid being stuck in traffic.

• Keep Abreast with Traffic Update Platforms

Platforms like Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1 are lit. Use them. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Radio stations are packed with content predicting real-time traffic conditions.

By levelling up with these updates, you’ll be most likely to wait out gridlocks and that’s a complete win.

• Call a Friend

No, not to help out with a tough question on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? but to bail you out of possibly spending hours in a deadlock.

Have any friends, colleagues, family member, plying the same route you frequent? Keep them close as they might be your best plug to avoiding traffic.

Should your map-reading, news-reading, and early-bird skills suck, turn to your trusted buddies to keep you informed.

• Befriend Motorcycles

The easiest escape for the Lagos traffic is motorcycles. 

Whether it’s signing up for at least one of the fast-growing bike-hailing services, or coping the phone number of a local bike man, having a bike-oriented back-up plan is a brilliant idea.

• Bonus Point: Discard Gala and La Casera

Just kidding! Discard eating this famous snack-combination all you want, but that will not guarantee you’ll escape being stuck in traffic; rather the former points will.