My body still aches, I’m trying hard not to doze at my keyboard. I am exhausted from having spent over 4hours two days in a row trying to get home from work. On a public holiday the drive is just 20minutes long, On a good week day at rush hour, it takes an hour and 20minutes on the average, but with Lagos at its worst, I sleep in traffic.
The tell-tale signs start with various text messages and phone calls by colleagues spouses who have happened to escape from the Island before the other. Rushing out is not possible, there are closing times that must be abided by. When the bells go like a small child exulting in the closing bell I rush out praying and hoping that I might just barely escape the build-up. No such luck.
The slow exhausting drive begins. Horrible horns, broken down vehicles, mannerless drivers and abusive ones all add to the horror and build up the stress levels on the journey home. By this time my daughter is fast asleep and I’m glad she doesnt have to witness the long trip home at least she’s far away in dream land.
I have thought and I’m still thinking of how our governor can tackle this head on! The BRT scheme is a good idea but we can all see it is not enough. Our roads are congested, precious work-hours are wasted, fuel is wasted with cars guzzling the stuff and pouring out the Carbon Monoxide fumes for everyone to inhale. I can only imagine our contribution to the global warming phenomenon. Has this been measured?
It is obvious our roads are not enough for the number of cars that ply them. Alternative sources of transportation must be thought of and implemented. The waterwarys are begging for use. The commercial centres are clogged up and their infrastructure stretched to its limits. Other suburbs must be developed and encouraged to ‘encourage’ investors and businesses build there! There is much more to be done to ease this. The toll on our health, cars, businesses and lives is TOO MUCH!
13/06/2008 at 3:52 pm Permalink
I thot this happened on Tuesday cos of the accident on the road. Are you saying same happened on Wednesday? I wasnt at work to know
14/06/2008 at 3:57 pm Permalink
Dont alter it, its good. I imagine a time when I’ll work in such a system you have described, I’ll be honest with you ty I cant imagine it, I can only dream and hope that one day a poor mans wishes will come true……a horse is a nice means of t/port
14/06/2008 at 4:31 pm Permalink
@standtall – Wed was also bad o, my sister. Not as bad but not good. I heard there was an accident, a big danfo lost its tires and climbed on the divider on 3rd mainland bridge. Passengers injured. God help us.
@Olaoluwatomi- comment on the wrong post! thanks sis! me thinks Dreams stir up hearts to produce change so keep dreaming gal! but emm this horse matter is retrogression o, dont u think.
14/06/2008 at 4:33 pm Permalink
aaaaah sorri i had that mixed up. tanker on Monday, danfo on Tuesday. I never get home early
14/06/2008 at 7:49 pm Permalink
Guess you are missing it up the more. Tanker was Teusday. I was so sure of it cos I was in a bus when the radio broadcasted it and warned us not to take the road. Then I saw it on the news that dame night.
Didnt see any danfo on the road on monday sha. Could be Wednesday. But all the same you made a lot of sense
And do you know this Olaoluwatomi? She shares your surname.
14/09/2008 at 12:03 pm Permalink
toyin, answer standtall’s question na… lol!
you shall tag me the incurable optimist, but here’s my take on the whole scenario – 38yrs worth of damage cannot be fixed overnight… in fact, the fixing would probably take double the time cos we’ll have to get from -38 to 0 first, and then make the climb towards +38. however, the long walk from -38 has begun… the only way we can move now is forward, although there will be varying intervals between phases, depending on how much the citizens are willing to demand for what is rightfully theirs.
15/09/2008 at 7:13 am Permalink
You know its funny I started reading this and didnt recognise it as something i wrote!!!!! i know i’m busy….
lol!!!!!!!!!
@Bash – thanks, i think Standtall now knows who Olaoluwatomi is..we exchanged mail…. didnt want to state it here for security reasons
I agree with you on the forward movement…we are moving fwd even if it isnt showing yet. little steps pulling down the rotten foundation and replacing it with a more enduring structure!!!!!!