Imagine a Car Free Day in Lagos!
The 22nd of September is World Car Free day–a day set aside for car owners to give up their cars and opt for other means of transportation like cycling, walking and mass transit (public buses). The day is meant to give people an idea of how their cities would look and feel without cars for just one day.
The best way to observe car Free day is by not using your vehicle. You can either walk, cycle or take the bus. While Car Free Day is a thing in many cities all over the world, many Nigerians continue to be in the dark about it.
If Lagosians were compelled to observe Car Free Day, here’s how we think it would go:
1. There Will Be No Traffic For The First Time In History.
First of all, history would be made. Pigs would fly, hell would freeze over and the sky would fall.
Because is Lagos even Lagos without over 4 million cars plying her roads everyday or without her unending traffic? We don’t think so.
2. Bicycle Owners Would Become The Real Big Boys
All the cyclists that people used to look down on will shine and their shoulders would puff up. They will use bicycles to differentiate the men from the boys.
Wahala for who no get bicycle.
3. Horse-Riding Will Be The In Thing
Who has strength for cycling when you can just ride a horse and let them take you to your destination? Trust all horse owners to start offering their horses as means of transport and believe Lagosians to jump on the trend.
4. The Trekkers Will Continue As Usual
Car Free Day or not the Leggedez Benz crusaders know themselves, the day will go on as usual for these ones.
“Make we trek am, e no far.”
5. LASTMA Officials Will Arrest Defaulters For Running Too Fast
Trust LASTMA officials to always carry out their jobs with unrivaled passion and over zealousness. Whether it is car free day or not, they will not tolerate speeding.
Anyone running faster than usual will be apprehended and seized.
6. The Queen Of The Coasts Will Take To The Air
Unnerved, the witches and wizards from the south will take to the air.
Enter bus? Ride horse? Trek? No time for all that.
7. Aboki Men To The Rescue With Their Backing Skills
What is true is that Aboki men have been saving lives since forever. Tailoring skills, shoe cobbling skills, and meshai making skills.
When push comes to shove they will charge small money for you to be backed to your destination.
8. Bottled Water scarcity
As per fuel will no longer be the premium transport spirit. The demand for ‘pure water’ and bottled water will skyrocket, leading to an inflation and eventually a scarcity of ‘pure water’.
Especially seeing as water is needed for trekking, cycling or running.
#TheGoodStuff serves up some light reading with 2 shots of humor and a dash of sarcasm. In this edition, we share how we think Lagosians would react to a Car Free Day.
