Lagos, Nigeria, is one of the cities with heavy traffic. The traffic jams even cause mental problems for the residents so that the suicide rate increases.
According to the Global Cities Institute, Lagos is predicted to be the largest city in 2100 with a population of 88.3 million residents. Thus, the need for adequate roads is no wonder there is an urgency there. However, with a journey of less than 50 km, CNN journalists claim it will take eight hours to reach the destination. This is much longer than the Jakarta to Papua flight.
With traffic, pollution and noise problems, workers as well as other residents are affected both physically and mentally. In fact, health professionals attribute this to an increase in the city's suicide rate.
Psychiatrist Olufemi Oluwatayo said it was not surprising that people traveling in Lagos were negatively affected by the traffic jams there.
"It's not hard to understand why workers feel stressed, burned out or exhausted, especially in a city like Lagos. They leave their homes at 4am, endure heavy traffic and then face work stress and general job insecurity," says Oluwatayo.
"It's not surprising that, in general, more people seem to suffer from anxiety and depression."
In Lagos, there are more than eight million people, moving in five million vehicles crammed into the small streets. There are only 9,100 roads there. This is why Lagos spend an average of 30 hours in traffic each week -- or 1,560 hours annually.