A Traffic Experience

The regular activities in Lagos involve the day-to-day hustle and bustle to earn a living, and this would not be complete without the mention of the hectic traffic in the mega city.
Hold up is a major difficulty in living in Lagos and it always seems like survival of the fittest as everyone steps on the acceleration and zooms off with haste in order to get to their destination.
I have had many experiences with traffic and believe me, they were sour, only a few have been intriguing as a result of the funny antics of Lagosians. My most memorable experience with traffic was filled with fear and frenzy.
That very day, my plan was to get to Oshodi by 1pm, and I decided to go alone, using public transport, particularly, Danfo.
Pro tip: Never enter a Bus that hasn’t got any passengers yet.
The journey began, I had boarded a Bus to Oshodi and as the case may be, there was a traffic jam for hours, quite uneventful at first but it later became engaging.

There was a time a fight broke out when Abgero boys demanded money and the driver refused to pay, and they discharged everyone from the Bus.
Another was when a Hawker absconded with the driver’s money, as a result, the driver chased him and beat him to a pulp, he thanked his stars that the police arrived to save his soul.
One crazy thing about traffic is the frenzy that stirs up when everyone gets frustrated and the driver tries to follow One-way.
Pro tip: Try to buy snacks from Hawkers on the road, because you don’t know when you’ll get to your destination.

Tips and things you should watch out for during traffic jam
1.Everyone is frustrated: so you have to be careful on what you do on the road, if you hoot/horn too much, you might stir up unnecessary complaints.

2.No matter how tired you are, DO NOT SLEEP!!! : There is a spirit of fatigue that suddenly comes especially when you are in your private vehicle, you might cause a pandemonium when the vehicle starts moving. You can listen to music, or play a game on your device [DON’T DO THIS WHILE DRIVING]. You best be ready because traffic can ease at any time.


3.Drivers and One-ways: Most Drivers would try something they think is commonsensical, that is following One-way. This is extremely dangerous and illegal, protest against it!

4.Try a Motorcycle instead: Motorcycles, popularly known as Okadas are the least affected during traffic jam, because they are smaller, and can maneuver through narrow roads, and traffic jam. Only board Okadas if you are close to your destination.

SAY NO TO ONE-WAY…..
But I have always wondered, where does the traffic start and end???


By Ekene.