I think this used to be because the roads had no rules. Traffic would not obey the standard driving laws, if there was a traffic jam or 'go slow' as its called here, cars would just drive on the other side of the road. Some semblance of order has arrived with numerous enforcement agencies and some communication programs from Lagos State.
That's not to say the Go Slow has disappeared and it is the endless streams of traffic in the mornings to work and evenings home again that causes much hardship for the people of Lagos. Even the day time is a gamble as to whether you hit traffic or not.
In fact you are lucky to attend 2 meetings in one day and all movement requires good timing and of course luck not to hit jams.
Though there are many cars on the roads, the main form of transport for the majority of Lagosians is the bus for longer distance or motorcycle taxi (okada) generally used for shorter distances.
Most offices tend to provide a bus for their staff which does a circuitous tour of Lagos dropping off or picking up at various points.
The staff for their part must meet this bus in the morning or suffer a long journey by private owned 'public' transport.
Our office is much the same, the majority of staff either do not have a car or do not want to face driving through the go slow, while the bus provides a service for them, it comes with its own problems.
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To or from Victoria Island to the mainland where most of the Lagos population live can take between two - four hours each way. This is for a journey of maybe 20 kilometres. Many staff will wake at 5am in order to meet the bus in the morning. In order to leave the office at night one must wait for all staff to finish their work. If one memeber of the team has a deadline all others wait, on average they leave at 6 or 7 pm and face at least a two - three hour journey to a drop off point before making their way home. By all accounts it is a difficult energy draining journey and makes you realise that you are lucky to live near the office and only have to battle through 45 minutes worth of traffic.
A solution to the problem is something that is necessary, but perhaps beyond one office. Lagos state has some strategies to help, with a lot of construction and projects to ease congestion like the Lagbus, BRT and ideas to utilise the plentiful creeks with ferries but as with all big projects it will not happen overnight. Until then my staff and the people of Lagos just have to go on 'suffering and smiling'
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