How Ambode managed to increase the life span of Lagosians

By Seun Bisuga

Traffic in Lagos

In July 2015, research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, King’s College London, and Imperial College London, found that prolonged, repeated exposure to traffic noise appears to be correlated with a decreased life expectancy and an increased risk of stroke.

The new research follows much recent research that shows a correlation between the air pollution caused be vehicle emissions and a large number of serious diseases and ailments.

I’m not suggesting that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos is a scientist, neither am I suggesting that he is a magician, far from it.

But the soft-spoken number one citizen of Lagos seems to have found a solution to one Lagos lingering problem – Traffic.

Ambode’s somewhat simple-looking intervention is no different from a scientific breakthrough if you happen to travel to Lagos Island from Mainland on a daily basis. The thought of getting on Third Mainland Bridge will kill you even faster than the act itself.

I know it is the function of the government to fix roads but if you have experienced the hellish trip to the Island and back, you will appreciate Ambode. Travelling on that route on daily basis has reduced the life expectation of many Lagosians until Ambode swung his magic wand at Oworonshoki.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode: a silent worker?

Oworonshoki bus-stop used to be one of the most dreaded bus-stops in Lagos. Like every bus-stop in Lagos where there is go-slow drivers and commuters are left to wonder what the reasons for the madness is. When they get to the bus-stops they see nothing that suggests why they spent between 30 to 45 minutes on that road, save for the ‘crazy’ commercial bus drivers and their conductors.

But now, Oworonshoki is a breeze, you just drive past wondering why previous administrations could not phantom the idea of creating a four-lane bus stop to end the unnecessary go-slow/stand still on that stretch.

Now Lagosians don’t have to wake early in the morning or do they have to risk their lives all because they want to get to work early.

In Alapere, Ketu a similar intervention is ongoing, same for Ojodu Berger, where an overhead bridge has been constructed to ensure easy flow of traffic in the area.

In the research stated above, researchers analysed data for 8.6 million people living in London between 2003 and 2010. They looked at levels of road traffic noise during the day (7am-11pm) and at night (11pm-7am) across different postcodes, comparing this to deaths and hospital admissions in each area for adults (aged 25 and over) and the elderly (aged 75 and over).

Deaths were four per cent more common among adults and the elderly in areas with daytime road traffic noise of more than 60dB compared to areas with less than 55dB. The researchers say the deaths are most likely to be linked to heart or circulatory disease. They say this could be due to increased blood pressure, sleep problems and stress from the noise.

Adults living in areas with the noisiest daytime traffic (more than 60dB) were five per cent more likely to be admitted to hospital for stroke compared to those who lived in quieter areas (less than 55dB), which went up to nine per cent in the elderly. Night time noise (55-60 dB) from road traffic was also associated with a five per cent increased stroke risk, but only in the elderly.

For me, I think Lagosians should commend Ambode for finding the missing jigsaw in the puzzle and for also creating a cleaner environment and increasing the life expectancy of Lagos citizens.