In the past, in addition to the use of animals such as donkeys, camels, and horses for transportation and/or facilitating the carriage, some wealthy people used bicycles to move from one point to another. There may be one or two people who have the resources to buy a bicycle at that time in a town.

However, when civilization came, the use of the bicycle as a leisure ride was lost due to the fact that it was not as fast as the new invention – the automobile. The facilities that are enjoyed in a car are not available in any bicycle like the one that allows more than 1 or 2 people on board. It has a roof that provides shelter from both the sun and the rain in their seasons. Your exposure to risk such as accidents is also minimal compared to cycling which is open to many hazards.

The traffic congestion on our roads, where Lagos residents are subject to traffic jams for a minimum of 2 hours, both in the morning on their way to offices/markets/shops and returning in the evening, leaves much to be desired. In an attempt to stop the unpleasant situation, the state government decided to create exclusive lanes on the main thoroughfares of the state, acquired new state-of-the-art luxury buses that take passengers from one place to another with duly regulated travel, resulting in a journey from Ketu to CMS terminals, for example, which takes no more than 30 minutes on average. So far the government has recorded some successes with this innovation, but there is still more to do because we are still experiencing serious traffic in the non-exclusive lanes and this requires some serious thinking about the exit. All hands must be on deck.

The next area that I would like the government to look at is the possibility of encouraging Lagos people to start cycling as a means of transport in the state with the consequent benefits for the physical and economic aspects of our being.

However, as can be obtained with each company/process/effort in life with advantages that must have disadvantages, the bicycle as a means of transport in our urban cities, despite its exposure to accidental risks on highways and/or internal roads, It has many advantages that far outweigh the disadvantages. They can be categorized into physical/health, economic and environmental benefits.

Physical/Health Benefit

The physical benefits of cycling as a means of transportation in our urban cities could be in the form of physical fitness. The fact that most of the bicycles used in this part of the world are manual, it serves as a form of exercise for the cyclist in which unnecessary body fat is burned, thus ensuring that he/she is in good physical shape. This further extends to stability of mind and soul. A healthy mind will always be ready to fulfill any assigned duty effectively and efficiently due to its physical and mental fitness.

economic benefit

1. The economy of any state is guaranteed by the effectiveness and efficiency of the provision of services within various organs of its system. Wherever there is loss of time, such an economy loses a lot of money. The bicycle as a means of transport will ensure that there is little or no traffic jam on our roads; people will be able to execute their business plans without stress on the roads as has been experienced for many decades with thousands of motor vehicles heading towards the same place at the same time.

2. The cost of acquiring a bicycle is much cheaper and more affordable than the cost of owning a car. It is equally cheaper to maintain a bicycle than a car. Similarly, lower-class people have the opportunity to own a mobility engine/machine, such as a bicycle, more easily than owning a car, making it easier for them to move in and around the city.

3. Bicycle owners no longer have to worry about fueling, especially when there is a shortage of fuel.

4. Bikes require little to no serious maintenance compared to cars that need regular engine tune-ups and services at least two to three times a year.

5. The spaces occupied by bicycles are so minimal that 8-10 bicycles could be parked in a space that would fit a car (ie a space of approximately 7.2 m2). These more people transact business in the city of Lagos without worrying about how to get back on transport to their destinations at the end of the day.

6. Children are not left out of this endless list of benefits in the sense that parents can afford to buy bikes for them without spending a lot of money. They are allowed access to the roads even before the age of 18 (allowed by law to drive a car) under the close supervision of their parents.

environmental benefit

Bicycling on our roads will prevent the uncontrollable emission of carbon monoxide, CO from thousands of vehicles that travel on our roads every day. This poisonous gas is dangerous to the health of our people and has always contributed to the high mortality rate in society. The same goes for the effect of CO on the ozone layer in the sky.

TO DO LIST

In order to be successful in the proposed system, the Lagos State government has to put in place some measures that address the dangers inherent in cycling on our roads. The benefits, though numerous and plausible, will be nullified if the Government refuses to guarantee the following:

1. As can be achieved with dedicated BRT lanes for government buses on most of our major roads, the government must create dedicated lanes for cyclists to avoid collisions with motor vehicles.

2. The government should enact laws that require cyclists to wear protective helmets before embarking on any journey with their bicycles.

3. Compliance with “right of way” of the Highway Code to ensure that other road users obey the code at our “roundabouts” and “junctions” at all times.

With the above in mind, the roads in Lagos will be very safe to drive on and we will all be proud to be a part of Lagos history. Then, Lagos will be a state of LONGEVITY AND GOOD HEALTH.

Eko o ni go down oooooooooooo!