Bustling and bursting Metro Manila roads

Certainly, the MMDA scheme of strictly limiting vehicles plying EDSA on weekdays to only four days, and of introducing those ubiquitous U-turn slots, have had a positive effect on easing the traffic flow on this major transport artery. But these have not been enough.

Clearly there is need for more and better solutions, not necessarily chucking those that are currently being in effect. And it’s not just Metro Manila Development Authority who should be thinking about solving the problem.

Urban traffic congestion, as many of us are too painfully aware, is a curse on our own personal lives. But more importantly, being in the heart of economic activity, bad traffic is a national problem since it lowers individual, and therefore collective, productivity.

Metro Manila for example, with over 10 million inhabitants, accounts for about a third of the inputs defining gross domestic product, which in turn is the measure of how the country is generating resources that will ensure that there will be enough jobs and money for everyone.

There are other collateral benefits to reduced traffic jams and smoother rides in the metropolis such as less pollution, consequently better health, and savings in transport fuel which is becoming more and more expensive by the day.

Many views, ideas and plans

Ask any Filipino, living here or abroad, and he will always have an opinion about how to solve the country’s traffic problem. It can be as simplistic as having less vehicles or more roads to as complex as discussing the details of population mobility and the mass transport system.

Let’s not forget that one can publish a book just tackling the topic of why traffic problems exist. You can take the version of a number of players, from drivers (public, private, motorcycle, jeepneys) to regulators, even that of pedestrians.

One thing though that cannot be debated: It makes for a fairly lively topic given the fact that there are no easy and quick answers to this decades-old problem. Traffic management is the stuff that many bureaucrats have tried to master, and on which some politicians’ careers have been built.

Macro view

Obviously, the best way to solve Metro Manila’s horrendous traffic mess is to take it from the macro view. Sure it helps that MMDA enforcers are vigilant and professional, and that all drivers and pedestrians follow rules, but really we need a more comprehensive and doable transport master plan, plus the resolve to carry through on an agreed plan.

So much time, money and effort has been spent by government, some dating as far back as during the regime of Marcos, on a master plan. In fact, the so-called light rail transit system is one offshoot, although its execution has been so badly mangled resulting in the current disjointed operations.

The number-coding scheme and the yellow lines that attempt to limit buses to certain lanes are just part and parcel of some form of traffic management master plan. The problem is that some other critical parts have not been implemented, explaining why full-scale benefits are not felt.

Infrastructure problem

Finding money has been a major problem that accounts for the sad fact that we have three elevated train lines managed by three different entities. They are supposed to be linked together to somehow simulate a seamless light rail transit operation within Metro Manila. Don’t ask when this will happen.

But even the existence of the three lines – blue (from Baclaran to Monumento on EDSA), yellow (from Baclaran to Monumento on Taft Avenue), and purple (from Recto to Marikina) – are woefully inadequate to serve about 75 percent of Metro Manila’s commuting public.

Even the PNR (Philippine National Railways) trains from Calamba City to Tutuban, also tagged as the orange line, has its problems: the journey should take a shorter time but there are just too many times when the trains have to slow down especially when traversing the densely populated districts of Metro Manila.

Elevating the orange line to make it more efficient, plus upgrading the existing blue, yellow and purple lines need money. Adding more lines, i.e., the green line from Caloocan to Bulacan and the proposed C-5 line, will entail even more.

Perhaps this is a good time to explore the PPP principle that the current government is espousing. Investment in transportation infrastructure by the private sector in partnership with the government is crucial if we want this done as soon as possible, and while the President’s trust rating is high.

And by the way, let’s start charging a more reasonable (higher) fare that should at least cover the day-to-day operations of the trains. Fare hike is a sensitive political issue. But if the government is serious in attracting infrastructure investments, particularly on transport system, it should provide assurance that investors can earn fair returns, despite the ever present political pressures.

Clogged roads

There are just too many vehicles on Metro Manila main roads; this covers just about all kinds of vehicles. If we want to limit the number of private cars, then let’s start using taxes to discourage ownership of more than one car.

There are also too many buses plying EDSA. A bus with just a handful of passengers plying the length of this main road is plain wasteful. There should be a workable formula that could limit the number of bus companies operating this stretch. I would really want to see just one or two entities, even if this is an integrated and collaborative effort by many bus operators.

If government will be serious about weeding our streets of old vehicles, this will not only help decongest the city streets, but also decrease foul emission levels and cut down on inefficient automotive fuel use. The best way is again to slap higher taxes on engines that are more than five years old.

This way too, importation of second-hand engines that have been junked in other countries with more stringent motor vehicle age standards will almost immediately stop.

Firm resolve

Finally, and more crucially, government will have to put its act together and walk the talk. Many of these seemingly simple remedies are just there for the taking; all it needs is a strong will to do act on the problem and the agreed action plan.

If it’s true that we are in for sustained growth for the next five years at an average of seven to nine percent, then we can see a quantum leap in mobility of people in Metro Manila and the consequent worsening of traffic situation. There is no other time to start working on this issue in earnest than now.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at reydgamboa@yahoo.com. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net. –Rey Gamboa (The Philippine Star)