BBM and Metro Manila traffic

METRO Manila ranked 9th worst out of 387 cities around the world in terms of average travel time in urban areas, according to the Tomtom Traffic Index. This study evaluates cities based on average travel time, fuel costs and CO2 emissions. No. 1 on the list is London, with an average travel time per 10 kilometers of 37 minutes and 20 seconds. Manila’s average travel time was 27 minutes and 20 seconds. The Tomtom Traffic Index is based on floating car data. In Asia, Metro Manila has the third highest time lost per year at rush hour. Manila’s time lost is 105 hours, while Indian cities like Bengaluru and Pune lose 132 and 128 hours, respectively.

While these studies may be used by planners, car manufacturers and policymakers around the world, Metro Manila’s urbanites can anecdotally offer proof of time lost, increased stress levels and physical discomfort from the traffic congestion we all face in our city. If we need data to prove why it is so congested, the number of vehicles using Metro Manila roads actually increased. Based on the Metro Manila Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT), there has been a 17 percent increase in traffic volume from 2019 to 2023. Prior to the pandemic in 2019, the traffic volume per day was 3,087,980. By 2023, it measured 3,634,233.

Last April 3, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with the full Cabinet to not only explore ways to reduce vehicular traffic in Metro Manila and large urban areas but also to call for a single holistic transport system plan that addresses both urban and regional movement. Many plans and studies have been made for Metro Manila; however, as we’ve seen in the implementation of transport and road systems in the past, government agencies, the private sector and local government units didn’t always coordinate or consult each other. If you’ve used the NAIAx Skyway northbound exit for Terminal 3, you know what I mean. Getting from the Skyway exit to the terminal could take 30 minutes or more simply because there is no direct access to the terminal. Another example of an entangled web of transport systems is the Grand Central Station, or the North Triangle Common Station, in Quezon City, which was in limbo for many years since the Arroyo administration, with a standoff between developers. It wasn’t till 2016 that then-Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade got all the stakeholders to agree to a common station that connects SM North EDSA, Ayala’s Trinoma Mall, and San Miguel’s MRT7 and Metro Pacific’s interest in LRT.

Many of our city’s transport problems are caused by mismanagement and the lack of coordination. BBM wants a management scheme that takes into consideration current and future infrastructure projects. The Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge project is one that will not only benefit our traffic congestion but, more importantly, our economy. Goods can easily be transported between provinces bypassing the NCR. At 32 kilometers, it is to be the second-longest bridge in the world. It will take time to build.

At the April 10 Bagong Pilipinas town hall meeting in San Juan, President Marcos was present to dialog with stakeholders to discuss ideas and programs to ease traffic congestion. There, he reiterated the importance of pursuing an efficient mass transit system. Whenever we are abroad, as near as Singapore and other Asian megacities or in London or New York, we walk or take transit. If we had the option of a fast train within Metro Manila, I would very gladly give up my car. If all goes as planned, we will have our 33-kilometer Metro Manila Subway operating by 2029.

Other traffic decongestion strategies include the adjustment of local government working hours to 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a long-term solution, the Marcos administration is moving more regional government services outside of Metro Manila and into provincial centers like Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite and Laguna. The President gave a one-month transition period for the prohibition of the use of e-bikes, e-trikes and kuliglig from main roads in Metro Manila, including national, circumferential and radial roads. The President also said he supports the expansion of the motorcycle taxi service, citing approximately 15 million riders in the country.

The Marcos administration is keen on setting the example and walking the talk. Executive Order 56 regulates the issuance of protocol license plates by reducing the number from 16 to 14 officials entitled to use the plates, with limits. Administrative Order 18, signed on March 25, prohibits the unauthorized and indiscriminate use of sirens, blinkers and other flashing devices by government officials and employees, with official and emergency vehicles exempted.

The long-term investments in mass transit, highways and bridges will take time. Many of the projects implemented now won’t be completed until maybe after President Marcos’ term. In BBM’s vlog #257, the President shared the proposed traffic solutions in a conversational way. After discussing the technical plans and ongoing and planned infrastructure developments, the President brought it back to driver discipline and common courtesy. After all, the failure and delay of these traffic schemes will only continue to be an obstacle to our progress.