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Lagos Roads - Bad Roads, Bad Network, Long Queues.

Lagos roads are very many compared to the number of roads available in many other cities of Nigeria.

Unfortunately, the roads are too few for the population the city commands. To make matters worse, even the roads available are littered with potholes that compell motorists to drive slowly.

The result?

Long queues.

The bad roads have made the already bad traffic situation in Lagos worse. And there doesn't seem to be a solution in sight. In the meantime, more roads are getting damaged.

Naturally, the next question is, "What is the way forward?"

To solve the problem, the authorities needs to implement a four-prong approach:

1. Repair the roads - develop and implement a good maintenance culture

2. Build more roads . . . wider roads

3. Build more overhead bridges

4. Develop a network of roads that ensures each location is connected by several routes

The authorities do a lot of road repairs. Unfortunately, it's not enough to fix the bad Lagos roads.

The first thing to do is to fix potholes as they appear. That culture of quick response will ensure the roads don't develop to death traps and cause chaotic traffic situations before they are fixed. This saves money.

It's also important that the roads being fixed are properly fixed so they last and last.

For example, the authorities fix the bad spots on the Lagos Abeokuta expressway way yearly. And the roads are repeatedly being fixed by the same contractor.

Year in year out the construction company fixes the same spots. And year in year out the same spots get bad. Why?

Why do the same portions keep going bad when the rest of the road that have been there for years remain intact? Is it the quality of materials being used? Is it the quality of work being done?

This needs investigating by the authorities.

Let's come to the question of more roads.

Thousands of people are trooping into Lagos Nigeria daily. The number who move in are much more than those who move out. And the number of cars plying the roads have more than tripled in the last decade.

Unfortunately, the number of roads have not grown in the same proportion.

Bottom line.

Lagos state needs more roads . . . fast!

With more roads should come more overhead bridges.

For example, the Falomo bridge in Ikoyi links Ikoyi to Victoria Island. These two locations are where the rich meet, play, strategize, and make money. They are about the richest locations in lagos Nigeria.

The drive across this bridge should actually take less than 5 minutes. But on a bad day, you can spend 30 - 40 minutes to cross the bridge.

Why?

Because there is just one overhead bridge connecting both locations and the whole of Lagos is passing there at the same time.

Why can't we have a second overhead bridge? Or even a third?

It beats me.

There's no doubt about it.

Lagos roads need to be uplifted. It's important to build a network of Lagos roads that ensures that each location can be accessed through several routes . . . through several tarred roads.

The hectic Lagos traffic will automatically disappear when that happens. And businesses will prosper. And the authorities will get more taxes.

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