No to one-size-fits-all approach
NATIONAL roads are constructed and maintained with public funds by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Some officials would like us to believe that all national roads should be treated like limited access highways or expressways — for the exclusive use of motor vehicles traveling at high speed. In their view, the most desirable function of a national road is to move more vehicles faster in all circumstances. They argue that such roads should be as wide as possible, with many lanes and without other users that might impede vehicle flow.
Their concept of promoting road safety is to remove slower road users (pedestrians, cyclists, tricycles, light mobility devices, etc.) from national roads so that four-wheeled motor vehicles can move faster. While this approach may be desirable on expressways and tollways, it is inappropriate and harmful when applied to urban roads that go through busy, densely populated areas with many different kinds of road users.
When many national roads were constructed, they connected cities and towns with wide carriageways that traversed sparsely populated rural areas. Most were designed for high-speed vehicle travel and often built without sidewalks because the assumption was that there were few pedestrians. After many decades, the same roads now pass right through the centers of towns and cities, and in front of many public and private schools, but remain high-speed vehicle corridors without any protection for pedestrians and other road users. This places millions of Filipinos in perilous situations daily.
According to a landmark study entitled “Road and Rail Transportation Infrastructure in the Philippines: Current State, Issues and Challenges” by Adoracion Navarro and Jokkaz Latigar, the national road network stood at 34,250.97 kilometers (km) in 2022. About 11,600 km of our national roads were said to be classified as national tertiary roads with mainly local functions (urban roads within towns and cities). This means that about a third of national roads are likely “misdesigned” for the areas they now serve and have unsafe speed limits. This is very likely the reason for over 30 Filipinos being killed every day in road crashes (mostly children and young adults).
The prioritization of people over vehicles on all roads is underscored in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and in the National Transport Policy, but these high-level directives need to be translated into meaningful action and results. Preserving the most important urban roads for four-wheeled motor vehicles traveling at high speed is not only irresponsible and negligent from a road safety standpoint, it is also unjust considering that only a small minority of Filipino households are car owners (6 percent nationwide and 11.5 percent in Greater Manila).
Instead of national roads in urban areas serving the diversity of road users, they continue to prioritize those in automobiles. A current example is the heavily congested Katipunan Road in Metro Manila, which is unfriendly for pedestrians and public transport users despite being a college/university corridor with many residents and visitors who walk, cycle and rely on public transport. Pedestrians are forced to use footbridges after ground level pedestrian crossings were removed; those unable to climb stairs were rendered immobile. Tricycles were banned even though public transportation was grossly inadequate. With the road now always filled with cars, students are exposed to heavy pollution from
vehicle exhausts daily.
The harm from the “one-sizefits-all” approach is also exemplified in the recent decision of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to ban e-bikes and e-trikes from Metro Manila’s national roads, even though these light electric vehicles are safer, more space-efficient, are cheaper and have a much less environmental impact. It discouraged use of these desirable travel modes and encouraged people to shift to the least efficient, higher cost and most environmentally damaging mode of transport: private motor vehicles. What should be done to rectify the situation?
First, national and local government units should be compelled to implement the safe speed limit required under the Land Transportation and Traffic Code. It specifies that the maximum allowable speed limit for passenger cars and motorcycles should be 20 kph on “crowded streets.”
“Crowded streets,” according to Joint Memorandum Circular 2018-001 issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, DPWH and the Department of Transportation, are streets “with heavy pedestrian traffic, including all streets within a 500-meter radius of schools, public transportation terminals, markets, government buildings, churches and other places of worship, recreational places, facilities frequented by the youth, parks, shopping malls, movie houses, hotels, restaurants and other public places as may be determined by the city or municipal government.” On crowded streets, we suggest that traffic-calming infrastructure (e.g., raised crossings, speed bumps, etc.) also be introduced to slow motor vehicles down.
Second, the government should issue a Philippine Urban Road Design Manual to guide national and local agencies on appropriate road designs for urban areas. These are designs that balance the needs of all road users while ensuring convenience, comfort and safety for public transport and active transport (walking and cycling). The Global Street Design Guide, prepared by the Global Designing Cities Initiative and the Urban Street Design Guide of the National Association of City Transportation Officials offer many templates that can be adapted to the Philippine setting.
In urban areas, national roads should be redesigned and managed to serve the travel needs of all road users, especially the majority who are not owners of motor vehicles. Busy roads with lower speed limits and improved walkways, bike lanes and public transport can move a larger number of people at lower cost and less environmental impact. More people will also be encouraged to walk and cycle to their destinations, leading to healthier lifestyles. It will not only save lives, it will also make urban areas more livable. It’s time to abandon the “one-size-fits-all” approach to national roads.