Distorted highways
While driving through the Star Tollway bound for Manila, I got boxed into the truck lane at the tollbooth and got the shock of my life. The lane, like many truck lanes in the country such as on C5 was basically misaligned and distorted obviously caused by hundreds if not thousands of OVERLOADED trucks and container vans passing through.
I feel bad for the tollways management who actually has a good reputation for repair and maintenance. But no amount of vigilance in that department can match the destructive force and pressure created by so many OVERLOADED commercial vehicles.
The fact is both private investors and the DPWH are losing billions of pesos to “road re-blocking.” It is now time for the LTFRB, the LTO, the DPWH and Toll Regulatory Board to meet on the matter and address this curse that throws away taxpayers money and destroys roads!
* * * Once upon a time, the City of Lipa had a problem with shuttle buses that would drop off thousands of employees at industrial processing zones located in another town and then would drive into Lipa City and park along the Laurel Highway or on side streets. Aside from being hazardous to other drivers and vehicles, the shuttle buses became a nuisance for homeowners who did not appreciate oil leaks, litter or trash in front of their homes.
The City tried to discourage the bus drivers by issuing them traffic tickets hoping the buses would eventually get the message and leave. It turned out that the fines were so small that the bus owners continued to illegally park until the City found a better solution. When the SM group decided to build a mall in Lipa City, part of the design was for SM to build a bus terminal. This of course was a no brainer since the terminal serviced hundreds of passengers who would inevitable buy various items from SM locators or outlets. What surprised many people was how well the terminal worked at doing away with the traffic that used to happen on the main highway.
City hall officials then turned to Robinson’s Mall to accommodate shuttle buses and provide a dedicated parking area. Everybody joined in and everybody came out with a win-win situation. The buses no longer parked along the highway or side streets killing time, Robinson’s Mall was blessed with more foot traffic and customers loading up on goods and foods before boarding the shuttle buses. Integrating bus terminals with malls works for everybody but not everybody finds it ideal.
It seems that some Lipa city council members are trying to find a way of slapping an SUP requirement or Special Use Permits for all shuttle buses entering Lipa. This would presumably earn the city or the council marginal income. Yes, the idea is Stupid because the present system already works and there is no basis or service provided for the SUP. It effectively becomes an arbitrary tax to be imposed over and above the Road Users Tax and LTFRB franchise. Why risk lives and compromise the vehicular flow and mobility inside Lipa City for chump change?
Perhaps our friends and readers at the DILG should call the attention of Secretary Año regarding the use and abuse of the so-called Special Use Permits. This is the same tool that many local officials use against Smart and Globe in order to extort 200 to 300 thousand pesos for every cell site! This practice should be stopped by the DILG permanently! Perhaps get COA to investigate where all the SUP money goes.
Aside from the SUP idea, there is also pressure from the same guys to shorten the truck ban in Lipa City so that haulers and long beds can come into the city to deliver or pick-up goods and materials. Most of these haulers go into the heart of Lipa City to service various feed mills. Apparently the local politicians have not come to realize the wisdom of developing a nighttime economy where such business activities can be done after the 9 pm ban. It creates more jobs; there is little or no traffic or congestion to deal with, and no conflict of interest. I only hope that those council members could change their approach and think in terms of the future. A small and already congested city such as Lipa needs to relocate “Traffic Magnets” elsewhere.
A major land developer in the area has offered to develop a new City center for a new City Hall away from the main road and highway of Lipa. The good mayor and his advisers have had several suggestions to build a new, bigger and better public market that is spacious and modern. Several schools and universities in Lipa have built facilities away from the congested areas. It would be better sooner than later, if the outdated and traffic causing factories start to relocate their mills and facilities further out. Politicians would be better off promoting expansion by relocation rather than political squeeze tactics. In this day and age of 888, Sandiganbayan and Social Media, the old tactics could be unwise.
* * * Last week I wrote about the need to recognize battle fatigue and signs of “burn out” among cabinet members and government executives. I suggested that President Duterte and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea should consider the idea of a “retreat” or recalibration of the team and their programs and perhaps give everybody a breather if not enough time for rest and recovery.
Not many may know it but there is a law or a Presidential decree that requires government offices to host or conduct trainings, seminars or talks aimed at cultivating or strengthening moral values in government offices. There are laws providing for Maternity leave with benefits and if I’m correct there was also a law calling for Paternity leaves as well. Ironically, no one has been progressive or realistic enough to recognize that many of our civil servants experience burn out and need a law that mandates calendared “team building” or “recovery sessions” or “Legislated Recovery Break.”
* * * E-mail: utalk2ctalk@gmail.com