Traffic makes living in Phl cities unbearable

My readers know that the issue on traffic is right up my alley simply because many Filipino drivers, notably Cebuano drivers, need to be educated about good driving habits. A case in point is that aerial photo that was published last Sunday of corner S. Osmeña Blvd. and F. Cabahug St. It gives you an idea of what I'm talking about, that the majority of traffic snarls or congestion is due to the motorist's lack of courtesy. Everyone insists they are in a hurry and in the end they clog up the corner and end up with a standstill because no one gives in to other motorists.

Today, the executive order to implement and enforce violations on counterflowing has been signed and is in effect this week. But as I have been writing, this EO is only as good as the number of enforcers that Mayor Tomas Osmeña will hire for the Cebu City Transportation Office. In short, Cebu City simply cannot put traffic enforcers in all roads where motorists counterflow, as it could be too costly to hire more enforcers.

The solution, of course, is not to hire more traffic enforcers simply because it entails a huge expense for Cebu City. The solution is like what they have in most European Union nations like Germany and Italy that I wrote only last January 25 in a short essay by my faithful reader Mr. Erich Wannamacher who wrote his piece entitled "Germany has no traffic enforcers." In Europe traffic education starts in kindergarten, but I have yet to see some kind of partnership between the Department of Education and our traffic authorities simply because you do not acquire traffic courtesy overnight, it is a generational thing.

A case in point was last September when we drove from Rome to San Giovanni Retondo to visit the incorrupt remains of St. Padre Pio. We hired a van with a Filipino driver. After our visit, we noticed along the autostrada a sign that was marked Lanciano. I know that Lanciano was the site of the first Eucharistic Miracle. But as we were running out of time as it was already 6:30 p.m. We finally found the small chapel called the Church of San Francisco (the Chapel of the Eucharistic Miracle), which was less than 200 yards away, but we were at a corner and the street had a "No Left Turn" sign.

Since we were already late and there were no traffic enforcers we urged the drive to make a left turn, as the chapel was so near already. But our Filipino driver refused and showed us a CCTV camera and told us that if he violated this sign he would get a penalty of 200 Euros at the end of the month on his bill and if he doesn't pay it there will be bigger penalties.

We live in the age of modern and digital technology, which means traffic enforcers can be replaced by cameras because it is more efficient. But then, will the City of Cebu invest in putting up cameras in every major road or street in the Cebu City? This remains to be seen. But certainly the first investment is huge, but far cheaper than hiring more traffic enforcers.

Yesterday, The Philippine STAR featured on page 8 an article entitled "Traffic making Phl cities uninhabitable." This was echoed by Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines' Mr. John Forbes who made this warning two years ago. Indeed, this is true not only in Metro Manila or Metro Cebu but throughout many Philippine cities like Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, and even Tagbilaran, Bohol.

The problem lies in the fact that bureaucrats of Imperial Manila dictate what they believe is good for Cebu. Let me emphasize two points that I have personally experienced. First the parallel road to Escario St. from Guadalupe to the University of the Philippines in Lahug, this was totally ignored by DPWH and NEDA. When I was a private sector representative at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority 10 years ago I asked for a second runway and DOTC told me that we did not need it. If only the DPWH or NEDA listened to me, we would less traffic congestion along Escario St. and no congestion at the MCIA.

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For email responses to this article, write to vsbobita@gmail.com. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.