Nigerian (read Lagos) roads are notorious for traffic jams. The only way to beat traffic is to either hit the road way before your scheduled appointment or know all back roads by heart.
The notoriety of traffic in Nigeria has led to individuals using their ingenuity to come up with solutions to enable commuters overcome this recurrent issue. Say hello to traffic monitoring applications.
Here are a few traffic monitoring apps available in Nigeria:
TrafficButter
TrafficButter started out in 2010 as a Twitter account that provided traffic updates, before it merged with a traffic monitoring app, JonnyWaka316, to create the TrafficButter App. TrafficButter still maintains its primary Twitter base for crowdsourcing traffic information while the app enables users report and follow live traffic updates on their route.
Traffic Lite
Traffic Lite is an app that crowdsources traffic reports around a user’s route. Once a user indicates a location and destination, the app provides traffic updates along the user’s route. The app updates the traffic / route information real time based upon the user’s movement and can all be viewed on a native in-app map. The app further gives users the option of saving their route and also enables them connect and view the real-time movements of their friends on the app.
GidiTraffic
Giditraffic, just like TrafficButter, started out crowdsourcing traffic information on Twitter in 2011 before launching its mobile app in 2012. The mobile app crowdsources traffic information from users which will then serve the need of other commuters.
Tsaboin TrafficTalk
Tsaboin TrafficTalk app allows users monitor traffic via access to live camera feeds from cameras placed in specific areas of Lagos. Commuters can also update the traffic report around them in texts and pictures onto the app.
TrafficChiefNG
TrafficChiefNG is also a crowdsourcing traffic app that gathers traffic reports uploaded independently on Twitter and subsequently uploads these data on their corresponding locations on Google Maps. The mobile app version of TrafficChiefNG is only available for Blackberry phones.
This post is brought to you in partnership with gidiapps.com, an app store that curates locally developed applications and applications Nigerians use the most. Discover great apps to use in Nigeria at Gidiapps.com.
Image Credit: epSos .de Via flickr
