In addition there were heavy traffic jams in many other cities and towns as traffic lights failed.

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The getaway began on Good Friday, when traffic jams formed on many routes to the coast, amid temperatures higher than those experienced in Mediterranean resorts.

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Not many in Lagos would admit that there are other places with worse traffic jams.

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Fewer car journeys means less pollution, fewer road accidents and shorter traffic jams, all of which would be welcomed my many.

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And while most traffic jams are a result of an accident or too many vehicles (or data packets in the case of the Internet) legitimately trying to get from place to place, they can also be slowed down deliberately, as happened in Brussels last September when about 100 trucks slowed traffic entering the city as part of a planned protest.

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There's a building boom on, traffic jams clutter the roads with new Toyotas and Hyundais, and many residents enjoy a relatively high standard of living.

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The traffic jams and additional security measures are keeping most people indoors, and many who still need to get to their jobs are making their way on foot.

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The traffic jams and additional security measures are keeping most people indoors -- and many who still need to get to their jobs are making their way on foot.

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Middle-class Algerians bought so many imported Renault, Peugeot and Hyundai cars that the government slapped on a sales tax to reduce traffic jams.

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