Hefty traffic congestion continues to affect the Gambia, especially in the greater Banjul area, where people will spend more than an hour reaching their destination.
This affects both passengers and drivers in the country as it wastes a lot of their time daily to reach their destinations, especially in the morning when many people go in and out of the country for their daily activities, and in the afternoon, returning to their homes.
According to the drivers, this is one of the contributory factors to the country’s transportation shortage as it costs them less, claiming that fuel is expensive.
Speaking to New Global Media, Mariama Sanneh, a passenger, shows her frustration with the high traffic congestion in the country. Miss Sanneh said she usually wakes up by 6 am to go to work but sometimes runs late because of traffic or vehicle issues.
“I am urging the Government to help us check the roads they are constructing well. The roads make transportation difficult in the country because they are just one lane. Even if you have an emergency, you are coming from Senegambia, you have to come to the turntable to be able to use the other way; this is so frustrating because it makes the traffic congested,” she said.
Mariatou highlights some effects of traffic congestion on national development.
This affects countries in terms of development because if people reach their workplaces late, it’s evident that it will affect their work because, as the saying goes, time is money. Wasting time is unsuitable for any country because you are losing something that can contribute to National development.
Modou Fall, a taxi driver, stated that the traffic congestion is affecting their livelihood business because what you can gain in three or tour trips is the time you will spend on one way, and fuel is costly. He noted that it is not their fault sometimes; they stop from one place to another to have two fares from passengers because of frustration.
“At times, we work from morning to evening, and we will not even have something to give our family because of traffic congestion. It wastes fuel and takes our time, which could be better for us, passengers, etc.
Hassan Bah, a teacher with his car, also talked about traffic congestion. He claims that even if they have their car, traffic will take them on the way for almost the whole day, and they will be on the same journey because of traffic. He added that “before reaching your destination, you are already exhausted. So how can people work effectively?” He asked. This is why people are always angry at one another in offices and markets. This anger is routed from their experiences with travels getting to places.
Bah further urges the Government to assist citizens with the issue, saying that the way they are constructing the new roads is making things worse. “We were hoping for better roads, but how can a road be constructed without ways to improve roads that people used most?”
Traffic congestion is when the volume of traffic on a road or transportation network exceeds its capacity, resulting in slower speeds, longer travel times, and increased delays. It is a widespread issue in urban areas worldwide and can significantly affect national development. Here are some of the critical impacts of traffic congestion on national development:
1. Economic Impacts: Traffic congestion hampers the efficient movement of goods and services, leading to increased transportation costs and inefficiencies in the supply chain. It negatively affects productivity by causing delays and increased fuel consumption, resulting in economic losses. Businesses may also suffer from increased delivery times, reduced customer satisfaction, and decreased competitiveness.
2. Environmental Impacts: Congestion leads to longer travel times and increased vehicle idling, fuel consumption, and air pollution.
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