Moving From Tight-Access Homes in Lagos: Narrow Streets and Long Carries

The driver calls from the end of your street. The road in front of your house is narrow, parked cars line both sides, and a gutter runs along the edge. A big truck will not get in. The wardrobe is inside, the sofa is inside, and the nearest place the vehicle can stop is two hundred metres away.

Many Lagos homes are like this. Inner streets, compound gates that are too tight, and roads that were never planned for trucks. This does not stop a move, but it changes the plan.

Find out where the vehicle can actually stop

Before you request a driver, walk out and look at your street the way a driver would.

• Is the road wide enough for a pickup van, or only for a smaller vehicle?
• Are there speed bumps, open drains or low cables that a taller truck would hit?
• Is there a gate, and how wide is it?
• Where is the nearest spot a vehicle can park without blocking the road?
• Is the ground firm, or does it turn to mud after rain?

If you are not sure, send the driver a photo or a landmark and ask them to look at it before you accept an offer.

Choose the vehicle for the street, not only the load

A truck carries more, but a pickup van can get into places a truck cannot. Sphere lists pickup vans up to 2,400kg and trucks up to 27,000kg. If your load fits in a pickup van, a narrow street is a good reason to choose it. If your load needs a truck, plan a carry between the truck and the door. Our guide on choosing the right truck size can help.

Plan the long carry

When the vehicle has to park away from the door, the real work is carrying.

1. Add helpers. A long carry needs more people than a short one, so plan for extra hands.
2. Use trolleys, sack barrows or a hand truck for cartons and appliances if the ground allows.
3. Carry in pairs for large items, with one person leading and calling out steps and corners.
4. Set up a relay: one group brings items to a staging spot near the vehicle, another loads.
5. Keep someone at the staging spot to watch the pile. Things go missing at the roadside.

Plan your breaks, because carrying over a long distance in the sun wears people out and mistakes follow.

Be careful with the awkward items

Mattresses, wardrobes, long sofas and fridges are the pieces that cause trouble.

• Measure the item and the narrowest point on the path, including the gate and the turn.
• Remove wardrobe doors, bed headboards and detachable legs before they go outside.
• Wrap corners with blankets or cartons so they do not scrape walls.
• Carry the fridge upright if you can, and let it settle before switching it on at the new place. Follow the manufacturer's guidance.

Talk to the neighbours and the gateman

A short carry across several compounds or down a one-way lane is easier when people know what is happening. Tell the gateman the time you expect the vehicle and ask whether any gates need to be opened. Tell neighbours if a vehicle might block the lane for a short time. A bit of courtesy saves arguments.

Think about the other end too

The same problem often shows up at the drop-off. Ask the person receiving where a vehicle can stop and how far the carry is. If the new place is a flat, ask about the stairs.

Describe the access in your request

Drivers accept or counter based on what they read. If you write "second floor, narrow street, vehicle stops 200m from the gate", they will know what to bring. If you leave it out, expect a conversation on the street. Read also our guide on moving between mainland and island and the Lagos landing page.

How to do this on Sphere

1. Open the Sphere app and pick a pickup van or a truck.
2. Add the pickup and drop-off addresses.
3. Describe the load, the street, the carry distance and the floor.
4. Propose a price. Nearby verified drivers accept it or send a counter-offer, and you choose.
5. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer.

Sphere operates in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan.