Lagos pedestrian safety is under threat as narrow walkways, broken drains, and traffic chaos put commuters at constant risk
Every Thursday in Lagos, markets shut between 7 and 10 a.m., compelling traders to clean their surroundings, …a compromise adopted after the monthly state-wide sanitation was discontinued.The logic was simple: it made little sense for an entire state to halt economic activity for three hours to do work that should ordinarily fall within the daily routine of environmental agencies.
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Yet despite the presence of highway cleaners and street sweepers, the physical state of our urban environment tells a different story. Many road edges are swallowed by overgrown weeds, drains have turned into mini-forests, and others brim with stagnant, murky water breeding insects and foul odours.
Recently, while walking from the VFS office on Freedom Way, Lekki, to the Nike Art Gallery on Maria Jose Escriva Street in Ikate, I experienced this dysfunction first-hand. The pedestrian walkway—constructed over the drains, was too narrow for two people to walk side by side. Broken drain covers forced pedestrians off the walkway and onto the busy road, competing for space with Keke Marwa, Korope and okada riders.
At intersections, the neglect becomes even more glaring. Traffic lights are designed solely for vehicles; pedestrians are left to dash across the road at their own risk. No zebra crossings, no pedestrian signals—only the hope that motorists will slow down long enough for one to escape unhurt. To worsen matters, Keke Marwa operators cluster at road bends without designated stations, compounding the chaos and heightening the danger.
It is time for government and relevant agencies to acknowledge the urgency of the pedestrian’s plight. We need wider, safer sidewalks, well-marked crosswalks, and traffic signals that consider those on foot. If tricycles are now a permanent feature of our urban mobility, then properly designed and enforced terminals must replace the current free-for-all at junctions.
Also read: Lagos state sanitation corps arrest 127 individuals for refusing to use pedestrian bridges
Lagos must reclaim the pedestrian experience. Our roads must be planned for people first, supported by a consistent maintenance schedule for drains, walkways, and public spaces. A walkable city is not a luxury—it is a fundamental marker of a functional urban environment.
