PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA
With the approaching Yuletide season, authorities and commuters are bracing for a severe escalation of the traffic crisis in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The daily commute for thousands of residents in the oil-rich city continues to be defined by hours of grueling gridlock, particularly around the critical Eliozu, Rumuola, Lagos bus stop, Rumuokoro and Rumuodomaya roundabouts.
Over the weekend, these areas with densely populated residential areas, have solidified their reputation as major transportation chokepoints, swallowing countless man-hours and impacting local commerce.
Judging from the weekend’s experience, some parts of Port Harcourt are likely to threaten a complete paralysis of traffic flow throughout the festive period unless the River State government address this situation early.
It appears that the Port Harcourt’s traffic congestion is not solely an engineering problem but a combination of socio-economic and behavioral factors. Inadequate road capacity may have also contributed in no small measures to the lack of free-flow of vehicles during peak hours.
Going by usual practices, commercial encroachment, involving unauthorized roadside markets and impromptu bus stops, a situation that usually get worse during peak seasons, severely reduces available roadway. Commercial buses and taxis mostly picked up and dropped off passengers directly in the traffic stream, creating instantaneous blockages.
