john650: I joined this board some months ago and I find the topics and conversations stimulating and engaging. I find myself visiting the site a few times a day. I think some of the smartest people in Nigeria can be found on Nairaland. With that said, it's nice that the folks at SunNews were able to provide us with a list of the danger zones (Bus Stops) in Lagos. But what does that do for the average commuter? Nothing. Do we live with the statusquo? One still needs to move around daily and pray you do not fall victim to this criminality.
For Nairalanders, I think the challenge for us as Nigerians is to brainstorm and come up with lasting solutions so that commuters are not subjected to such danger daily. I say this because anybody, who leaves outside of Lagos reading this story would have second thoughts about visiting. I would also like to add that the government does not have solutions to every problem. If they did, this won't be a topic of discussion. So let's get some ideas out here. Hopefully, the government is listening.
I have some ideas of my own.
a) I think that bus stops should be moved away from highways into towns. There should be on-and-off ramps in every town along a highway. It would free up the daily traffic jam on our highways, reduce road accidents, make it easy for emergency vehicles (Police, Ambulatory Service, Fire service) to reach people who need help and make it harder for criminals to stop traffic. So a town that has a bus stop will have a fully functioning bus station, where buses pull in to drop off and pick up passengers. The bus stations can be managed by the government or a private company. The station should be organized along the lines of what you would find in a bus or train station in Europe, parts of Asia or North America. There should be bus schedules listed in print, at the stations and on the internet for the public to see. The little yellow "danfo" buses which in my opinion constitute a nuisance should be banned. In its place should be bigger buses like the BRTs. The government can concession this to a few private contractors, who have the capacity to move large numbers of commuters from one location to another. So for example, a few bus contractors could get the contract to transport all commuters along the Lagos Badagry Expressway say from Mile-2 to Okokomaiko. Then another group can pick up from there. The buses should run frequently (10 to 15 minutes) and on schedule.
b) The Government should fix and maintain the roads on a regular basis. Criminals find solace in our bad roads as we all know.
c) The Government should install Solar powered street lights on our roads. Criminals enjoy free reign on our roads because of our government's inability to provide adequate electricity to the population. As we all know, criminals find it easy to operate in the dark.
d) Operating any kind of business on our highways or street hawking should be banned. The owners should be forced to relocate inside towns.
e) Security should be beefed up 24/7 both at the bus stations and on our highways.
I think these are achievable goals that would improve the quality of life of the average Lagosian. I read somewhere that the average life expectancy of a Nigerian or was it a Lagosian is about 47 years. I feel that a lot of the reason for this short life span is because of the daily difficulties people experience trying to get around. Spending 4 to 6 hours each day just trying to get to work will shorten anybody's life. There are people with life threatening illnesses (Hypertension, diabetes, etc), who have to endure this everyday. We deserve better.
While I am aware that the government is working on a lot of projects to alleviate the daily suffering of the masses (Building of the rail line and the 10-lane highway along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway), I think more can be done. is dis one term paper abi wetin? |
Travel › Re: 13 Dangerous Bus-stops In Lagos by etudaddy(m): 8:07pm On Nov 18, 2012
