Fixing the traffic mess

IT is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. The proverb aptly describes the heroic efforts of emeritus Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales when he personally untangled a major traffic jam in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, during the onslaught of typhoon Ineng recently.

“We were trapped for over an hour and we were rushing to another engagement. I said to myself: ‘We cannot take this anymore,’” the 83-year-old Rosales was quoted as saying when he recounted how he put on a hooded jacket, got off his car, and walked for about a kilometer in the rain to reach the cause of the gridlock: several vehicles in the wrong lane.

The retired cardinal’s admirable stance to personally sort out a horrendous traffic jam reflects the grave concern and eagerness of individuals and stakeholders to help alleviate a worsening crisis that continues to defy solution, especially in Metro Manila.

The latest among stakeholders to propose solutions is the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) which recommended to President Aquino the immediate appointment of a traffic czar, preferably Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, whose duties shall focus exclusively on all matters pertaining to transport and traffic management.

Even Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has appealed for improved traffic management in Metro Manila and to find ways “to reduce the number of cars on the streets.” In an interview last week over Radio Veritas, Cardinal Tagle said: “Be realistic, if we know that a particular road could only accommodate 5,000 cars yet there would be 50,000 cars battling for limited space, then how will these vehicles move?”

Cardinal Tagle has a point in saying road space is simply no match for the overwhelming volume of vehicles. Latest available statistics show that Metro Manila has the highest ratio of registered vehicles (RVs) to length of national road at 902 RVs per kilometer, followed by Region 3 at a distant 388 RVs per kilometer, and with the Mimaropa region lowest at 38 RVs per kilometer.

Many proposals have been presented to reduce vehicles in the metropolis, including drastic measures similar to what other countries have: Singapore, where the privilege of driving a car can cost more than the price of the vehicle; or Japan, where those without parking space cannot own cars.

President Aquino even revealed a plan to revert to the radical Odd-Even scheme to ease traffic by restricting half the number of vehicles plying busy streets. It could have instant success, but in the long run, its purpose would be defeated when people are impelled to buy another vehicle to circumvent the scheme, as has happened with the current number coding system. And then Metro Manila will end up with more vehicles than ever.

I believe that the really effective way to ease traffic is to greatly improve public transport—an enhanced mass transit rail system efficiently linked with public buses and loading/ unloading stations at convenient spots so commuters won’t have to take long walks.

With upgraded, expanded, and cost-efficient MRT and LRT, an improved Philippine National Railways system, a rapid bus transit system, and integrated provincial bus terminal system, car owners could then be enticed to take public transport, resulting in fewer vehicles on busy streets.

But while an ideal public transport system is still years into the future, there are immediate solutions if implemented with sufficient political will.These include clearing sidewalks, pedestrian paths, and road curbs of all obstacles, including vendors, especially along choke points like Balintawak, Baclaran, Sta. Cruz, and other similar areas. The drive against colorum vehicles must be relentless and incentives must be provided to encourage construction of more parking buildings to clear streets of parked vehicles.

And carpooling must be strongly encouraged among office workers in all buildings in Metro Manila’s various business districts, and among affluent students in private schools.

Also, we must instill discipline with strict enforcement of laws, zero-tolerance for violations that lead to traffic buildup, and immediate removal of illegally parked/stalled vehicles from the road. With a disciplined citizenry, public utility vehicles won’t load or unload passengers in the middle of the road, reckless driving will be in check, resulting in fewer accidents, and litter won’t clog drainage systems thereby preventing street flooding — all leading to smoother flow of vehicular traffic.

E-mail: finding.lina@yahoo. com