It’s a brand new week and of course Lagos is awake, the traffic, the noise, the drivers and did I mention the famous yellow buses, seems my city is already on the go. Living in a fast paced environment like Lagos can be confusing; exciting over the weekends and frustrating during the week. The hideous state becomes something else when impatient drivers and pedestrians fill the road and everyone wants to get to their destinations all at once.
This is why I have come up with tips that could help you get through a rough day in Lagos.
WAKE UP EARLY
The struggle to wake up early can be draining, especially after a stressful day. Remember to always set your alarm before you sleep and get up once it goes off, you don’t want to run late with that snooze button.
LEAVE YOUR WORK FOR THE OFFICE
Most of us work 7-8 hours a day as the case may be and get home late but we still feel the need to respond to this email or wrap up that document before we sleep. And before we know it, it’s 3am in the morning and we need to sleep and be up again at 6am. Now tell me how that is possible? My advice is, drop that work at the office and go home to sleep.
HIT THE ROAD EARLY ENOUGH
With a fast paced environment like Lagos, five minutes makes a lot of difference, so you want to step out early to avoid heavy traffic jams.
GOOGLE MAP IS YOUR BEST FRIEND
Know areas that have heavier traffic and take an alternate route. Sometimes take the bus, those people are more experienced than we know. Just make sure at every point in time you hit a roadblock you check the map to know what to do.
STAY UPDATED WITH TRAFFIC RADIO
Smartphones have made life easier, so you don’t even have to use the traditional radios. Make use of the social media platforms to have insight on places that have built up traffic. The good thing about this is that they advise you on alternate routes so you always have a plan B.
HAVE A PLAYLIST OF GOOD MUSIC
Amidst all the frustration and car horns and crazy bus drivers make sure you have the right playlists to cool your nerves. My take Fireboy or a typical Davido’s album would do.
LIVE CLOSER TO WORK
This may seem impossible but might be the gateway to escaping Lagos traffic. I mean what a joy it would be to wake up at 7am and still get to work before 9am. You obviously can’t try that when you live far away. So getting closer to the office would help avoid all the craziness in the morning. Starting your day angry because of a bus driver or that angry conductor is not worth it.
MAKE USE OF AVAILABLE FERRIES
If you live in a place like Ikorodu, you might just want to consider this. Roads in Lagos are bad generally, some places more than others. Using ferries would at least speed up your ease of movement. Uber ferry services have even made this easier in specific areas. This is actually safe and smooth. You can’t obviously meet traffic in the water.
MOVE OUT OF LAGOS FOR GOOD
As funny as this sounds, it would be the ultimate option for you. Lagos is very fast paced and living in Lagos is as well so if the traffic bothers you that much, there are 35 other states to pick from. Even better, you would have the peace of mind you desire.
Living in Lagos is not easy but I hope these tips have been able to help you and guide you adequately. If you follow through you might just have less stress moving around everyday.