Being stuck in traffic for hours can feel like hell on earth. Especially when your car’s air conditioning is not working. Traffic in Accra reaches its peak each year during the Christmas festivities. The rush to get Christmas gifts for loved ones and the inflow of family from the diaspora and other cities contribute to the levels of traffic that we experience in Accra each year.

Even within a year plagued with a global pandemic, the traffic situation in Accra is still a major problem during the festive season. But no worries, we have some tips and tricks to help you avoid getting stuck in traffic within Accra even if you do not own a helicopter.

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Set Off Early

The early bird, they say, catches the worm. Even though there’s normally a lot of traffic in Accra during the Christmas season, setting off early could be a lifesaver. If you have to go out during the Christmas season, it’s best to do so very early. Setting off around 6 am should give you minimal traffic on the road. Depending on where you are staying, you might have to set off even earlier. If you have ever experienced the afternoon traffic in Accra you will appreciate that paying the price of waking up early to run your errands is a worthwhile sacrifice.

Plan your Route

Use Google Maps to check your route and plan the best route to use for your errands. Google Maps will give you an estimate of the traffic situation on specific roads. The estimate is normally updated and relatively accurate. You could also use a cool service called Traffic Ghana. It gives you live feed of the traffic situation at various spots in Accra like the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, Osu Oxford Street, the Tema motorway interchange, the Giffard-Burma Camp road and the Airport City bypass road. This year, more roads have been constructed and improved which offers more options when selecting your route.

Go Out Only When it is Necessary

This point sounds very obvious but it is an important one. If there is no need to go out then don’t. You will only add to the traffic situation when you drive around for no reason. You could also use public transport to save yourself time. Public transport drivers (trotro drivers) have lots of experience for this season and always find the shortest route that helps you dodge traffic. You could also walk if your destination is not far. It saves you the hassle of being stuck in traffic and is good for your health as well.

Use Delivery Services

Another way to dodge the Christmas traffic in Accra is on a motorbike. Being on two wheels can help you swerve through traffic and save you valuable time during this Christmas season. Take advantage of courier services in Accra to help you save time and have your items delivered to you instead of you going out to get them.

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Of course, not everything can be delivered and you will have to go out once in a while when you want to have an experience with family and friends. But any time you want to visit any of the malls in Accra, restaurants or any other fun place during this Christmas season, keep the tips above in mind so as to avoid traffic.