Manila’s traffic jams bad for workers’ health, productivity – study

MANILA, Philippines – If your husband comes home with murder in his eyes, there’s a pretty fair chance that the stress of having to plod through Manila’s traffic jams is finally overwhelming him.

A study released recently by office solutions firm Regus revealed that commuting-induced stress may be responsible for raised blood pressure, musculoskeletal disorders, increased hostility and adverse effects on cognitive performance.

This jibes with other studies that show regular exposure to commute-related congestion increases average blood pressure levels—especially those who constantly brave heavy traffic or difficult rides on public transport—with drivers facing increased risk of sciatica, or pain affecting the legs, hips or lower back.

Other studies have also revealed that regular commuters are more prone to experiencing frustration at work, while suffering more headaches and more negative moods toward the end of the workday.

As much as a fifth of company employees worldwide spend a significant part of their days stuck in traffic commuting to or coming home from their workplaces, resulting in lost productive hours and unquantified ill effects on their health.

According to the study, the problem is especially acute in the Philippines, where an estimated 60 percent of the population reside in urban areas like Metro Manila, where traffic congestion poses a significant challenge.

According to the study, an estimated 20 percent of office workers worldwide spend an average 90 minutes every day going to and coming from their places of work.

“Although the average commute length is 25 minutes, a disheartening one in 10 commuters travels more than an hour to and from the place of work,” Regus said in a statement.

On a global average, cars are the most popular form of commuter transport with 64 percent of all commuters using this mode.

This varies, however, depending on the level of car ownership, especially for less developed countries like the Philippines, where the bulk of employees still use public transportation—the light rail system, buses, jeepney and taxis—to get to work.

“Anyone commuting in Manila will be able to confirm that this is certainly the case in our capital city,” Regus said.

“With cars creeping along in traffic and traveling on average no faster than 15 kilometers on a weekday along Edsa, what should be a 10-minute drive can take longer than an hour if you are unlucky enough to have to travel in the rush hour.”

Globally, 64 percent of workers were found to prefer to drive their own cars to work.

Other popular modes of transport are the metro or variants of it (8 percent), overland trains (7 percent) and walking (7 percent).

Only 2 percent of workers choose to cycle or carpool, while 4 percent opt for public buses.

“As traffic congestion in cities, particularly in developing nations, increases, it is disappointing to see that too many workers are still jamming the roads in the rush hour when they could be spending their time more enjoyably or more productively elsewhere,” said William Willems, Regus vice president for Southeast Asia and the Australia-New Zealand regions.

“With 60 percent of the population of the Philippines living in metropolitan areas, traffic congestion is a serious problem,” he said. “Although in the capital, a well run sky train LRT has been introduced to help alleviate commute times, far from all areas of the city are covered.”

Willems urged employers to be savvier in tackling the damaging effects of commuting on staff health and morale by introducing more flexibility in their working practices and seeking workplace solutions that allow their staff to work closer to home.

“Health-conscious Filipinos are keen to reap the benefits of remote working and flexi-time which can provide a much needed break in the weekly commuting routine and also translate into office space and maintenance savings,” Willems said.

Another burden commuters must bear is the cost of travel. On the average, 7 percent of commuters globally spend 10 percent or more of their salaries on commuting, while another 14 percent spend between 5 to 10 percent of their salaries on commuting costs. –Daxim Lucas, Philippine Daily Inquirer