Presidential action on Metro traffic problem

THE traffic problem in Metro Manila has gotten so bad that even President Aquino was moved to contribute to the search for a solution. Speaking at the inauguration of a building of the Rizal Technological University in Mandaluyong City, he said the “most radical” solution would be an odd-even traffic scheme which would immediately cut down the number of vehicles plying the area’s streets by half.

He was, however, quick to admit that this would meet with a great deal of opposition from car owners who need their cars to go to their offices and to bring their children to school. Also, the last time this was tried many years ago, rich families simply bought another car with the right plate number and, in time, traffic was “back to normal.”

Those in charge of seeking a solution might study what other countries have done about this problem. Japan, for example, imposes a substantial automobile tax plus compulsory vehicle insurance. And only those with parking space may own cars; no one is allowed to park in streets.

Singapore imposes two vehicle registration fees, with an Additional Registration Fee (ARF) based on the vehicle’s market value, so that it discourages ownership of older, high-polluting cars. It also has a Weekend Car Scheme, so that some cars are allowed to enter the city only on weekends. Cars entering the Central Business District with fewer than four persons are required to pay fees.

But even while our planners study solutions like these adopted in other cities, there are many steps that we can take even now. Traffic enforcers can stop the use of so many city streets for parking private vehicles. They can stop the practice of buses and jeepneys loading and unloading near intersections and even in the middle of streets. They can stop the practice of so many empty buses – many of them probably colorum – waiting for passengers in the lanes reserved for them, but often blocking the lanes of other vehicles.

The rains have added to the problem, flooding low-lying streets whose drainage systems have been blocked by garbage. Local governments of Metro Manila should make a special effort to look into these perennially flooded streets and neighborhoods and see what they can do.

Business offices in Metro Manila can contribute their bit to easing the traffic problem by organizing car pools for their employees.

An all-out effort must be made by the managements of the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit to keep their trains moving fast. These rail systems are still the best answer to the traffic problem by accommodating the mass of people traveling to offices, schools, and homes daily and keeping them off the clogged streets.

Cabinet Secretary Jose Almendras, on instructions from President Aquino, has asked for inputs from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Transportation and Communications, and the Philippine National Police. The traffic problem has truly reached such proportions that it needs presidential action, no less. We hopefully await the results of the consultations.