Lagos Not Among World’s Worst Cities, Says Report

• Ambode’s traffic management approach working, Ayorinde

By Gboyega Akinsanmi

Lagos, Africa’s largest megacity and the world’s fastest growing metropolis, is not among the world’s worst cities with the historic record of traffic congestion, says the World Traffic Index 2017.

The report, which measures traffic congestion in 390 cities across 48 countries globally, was issued by TomTom, a global leader in traffic management, navigation and mapping products.

The report showed that Africa recorded a 15 per cent increase in traffic congestion between 2015 and 2016; North America  five per cent, Europe nine per cent, Asia & Oceania 12 per cent and South America seven per cent.

While Africa at large recorded a 15 per cent rise in traffic congestion, the report showed a 10 per cent rise in global traffic congestion between 2015 and 2016. But the report did not list Lagos with the cities with the worst cases of traffic congestion within the same period.

Consequently, the report ranked Mexico City in Mexico as the world’s worst city with drivers expecting “to spend an average of 66 per cent extra travel time stuck in traffic anytime of the day and up to 101 per cent in the evening peak periods versus a free flow, or uncongested situation.”

Likewise, the report ranked Bangkok in Thailand with an average of extra travel time of 61 per cent, Jakarta in Indonesia with 58 per cent, Chongqing in China with 52 per cent and Bucharest in Romania 50 per cent, making up the top five most congested cities in the world.

Other cities with the worst cases of extra travel time include Rio de Janeiro in Brazil 47 per cent, Beijing in China 46 per cent, Los Angeles in the US 45 per cent, Moscow in Russia 44 per cent, Santiago in Chile 43 per cent, Buenos Aires in Brazil 42 per cent, St. Petersburg in Russia 41 per cent, Salvador in El Salvador 40 per cent and London in the UK 40 per cent.

However, in a reaction yesterday, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, said the fact that Lagos was not ranked with the cities with the worst cases of traffic congestion indicated that the strategy of Governor Akinwunmi 

Ambode was indeed working.

He, therefore, described Ambode’s approach to traffic management in the last two years as creative and outstanding, which he said, had Lagosout of the worst 15 cities with traffic issues in the world.

When Ambode assumed office in 2015, Ayorinde said his administration was confronted with intractable traffic congestion, which compelled the governor “to convene a 2015 summit in the same year. The summit has indeed provided insight into the root causes of the state’s traffic congestion.”

After the 2015 traffic summit, the commissioner noted that Ambode introduced laybys and slip roads “to knotty areas; removed roundabouts along Lekki-Epe Expressway and replaced them with signalised lights.”

He added that the governor approved the construction of foot bridges at Berger among other traffic areas “to ensure free flow of traffic while also adding to the number of officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) for the first time in 10 years.”