Most urban cities in the world often experience gridlock on their roads. This is mainly due to the increasing number of cars on the highway and poor road network however, there are several ways in which this problem can be mitigated .
One major cause of traffic jams in big cities is the increasing number of cars on the roads . The population in urban areas often makes the use of public transportation uncomfortable due to the overcrowding on the public buses and as a result, residents are encouraged to acquire their own cars . For instance,it was observed that about 50% of individuals who initially use public transport have acquired individual cars due to the comfort they can get from it . Furthermore, poor road network has also contributed to this problem. Due to the unavailability of alternate routes, most people are forced to ply the major roads as a result, the roads become congested. For example, in Lagos there is no alternate route when moving from the mainland to the island and so residents make use of the highway which is often congested. These are the reasons why cities experience congestion.
There are a number of ways in which these problems can be addressed. Firstly, public transport should be made more comfortable. This can be done by limiting the number of people allowed in the buses at a time as well as providing more buses for transportation. To exemplify, the number of individuals who use public transport in my hometown has increased due to provision of more comfortable buses and regulation of the number of passengers per bus . Secondly, better road networks should be made available. Alternate routes leading to various destinations should be made accessible in order to reduce the traffic on the roads . For example, in Ibadan , the use of bridges across water bodies has created a diversion thereby decongesting the main roads. These are some measures to curb the traffic jams .
In conclusion, traffic congestion encountered in major cities are often due to the increasing number of cars on the roads and poor road networking however, provision of a more comfortable public transport system and alternate routes to major roads are possible solutions to this problem.