Honestly, I feel for those who get to move about in the morning, especially in Lagos. I’ve not always had to go out in the morning, but when I do, it’s always a stressful process, especially when I do it during the week. And on a Monday morning???
Like bro, it’s always as if the entire population is on the road at that time, and everyone in the world wants to get into the same buses as you, or everyone is going in the same direction as you are. Like, why would you leave your home by 4 am, hoping to beat traffic, but you’d still meet that very traffic waiting for you? As in, there will always be a crowd of people who have the same thought as you, fighting to get on a bus.
And the later the day gets, the worse it gets. By 8 am, it only gets worse. You find it hard to even see buses, and when you do see a bus, it’s always crazy expensive, because the traffic on the road is chaotic. At that point, just know that you’ll be spending hours on the road. You simply can’t avoid it.
As a result, I prefer to keep my trips to the afternoons. That’s mid-morning and early afternoon. That’s usually when the sun is at its brightest, but it’s also when the road is best for travel. By then, everyone is at work, and there are few people on the road. Transport is cheaper and traffic is lighter. I also return before the evening rush when everyone in the world is returning home from work, clogging up the roads and causing traffic jams.
It’s always a hectic process. This is not how things are back in Owerri. One of the good things about that city is how reliable the traffic is. Unless there’s an accident on the road or there’s a construction going on somewhere, you can predict just how long your trip will take. And if you own your own car, you’ll definitely enjoy it! The roads are always free, and if you need 30 minutes to get to work, you can be sure that you’ll get there in that time, barring any unforeseen event!
But then, Owerri can’t be compared to Lagos, because of the population and the number of employment opportunities available there. People are not going out by 4 am in Lagos because their homes are chasing them out, they’re going to work. And the only way they can get there on time is by leaving their homes early enough to beat the devilish traffic. Bad roads, few buses, and a huge population are what make it so bad.
Anyway, it’s just a reason I try my best to avoid taking trips that would require me to go long distances, because it’s always a hassle. Struggling with people to get on buses, being cramped in buses for hours at a time, stuck in a particular place… this is always stressful. And thus, I try to just do things at my convenience. And that includes when I go out.
But then, many times, I have to be at a place at a particular time, and thus, I need to factor in that morning traffic. That’s the only reason I left my home today by 5 am just to be at an event that would start by 9 am. But what can I do? It’s just another one of those things.
