The problem with the MMDA and DOTr

THE past few weeks and months have been hell for commuters in the National Capital Region, what with the antics of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Top officials should voluntarily resign, to save the people from their gross ineptitude and disorder in the streets.

First, the MMDA attacked the rights and welfare of Metro Manila students and workers living in the provinces by implementing a ban on provincial buses from dropping off passengers along EDSA. The MMDA also subsequently planned to implement “voluntary” transfer of provincial bus terminals to either Valenzuela and Santa Rosa.

A court has stopped the arbitrary MMDA order for the transfer of the bus terminals.

Up to now, provincial buses have been prevented from dropping off passengers along EDSA. Not even at MRT terminals or bus stops, where commuters could logically transfer to the trains and city buses.

The no-drop-off policy adds needless travel time and expense to commuters. It also needlessly turns the traffic gridlock at Buendia, Pasay, Baclaran, and Cubao from bad to worse where city residents and provincial commuters compete among themselves for inadequate bus seats.

Second, the MMDA implemented the “yellow bus lane,” limiting buses to certain lanes at EDSA.

We have seen how this “works” in real life, with scores of photos of EDSA split along class divides.

It is a flagrantly elitist solution that favors private motorists by giving them preferential treatment along public roads, while giving second-class treatment for public utility vehicles.

Instead of discouraging car purchases and car usage, the “yellow bus lane” encourages more cars on the road, to the detriment of city buses that carry infinitely more pasengers but are forced to move at a snail’s pace.

Director Bibeth Orteza is obviously right: “The call to make provincial commuters go down Valenzuela/Sta. Rosa and take another ride to EDSA came from men in cars.”

And by “men in cars,” I think Direk Bibeth meant non-commuters or, worse, anti-commuters. These are not just “men” who proposed a “plan.” They are actually public servants who implemented a public policy deleterious to the public and mainly beneficial to fellow motorists, period.

Making the city-wide commute even harder is the sorry state of the city trains. Up to now, years after politicizing the issue of the MRT and LRT, the current administration has not been able to fix it.

Remember how the new regime demonized the newly purchased “bagon” units for the MRT? The Department of Transportation (DOTr) did not return them. The agency just allowed them to rot. Recently, the agency said that – Surprise! Surprise! – they are fit for use!

But the problems with the MRT and LRT go beyond corruption. At the root of the problems is the destructive policy of privatization. The MRT “system” remains privately owned, with the government paying billions every year in lease to the private owners and billions more for maintenance to private maintenance service providers.

The past and present administrations likewise unite behind the privatization of LRT-1 in favor of the Ayala-Pangilinan consortium, with generous assured tax breaks, perks and fare increases for years to come.

I don’t know about you, but those billions in lease payments, tax breaks, and other perks could be better used to (re)nationalize the MRT and LRT and place them under public control with strong commuter representation.

The fact that the MMDA ignores is that private cars hog EDSA. Of the 367,728 vehicles that pass through EDSA on any given day, a whooping 247,527 are private cars. That’s a lot of space, lots of gasoline, and lots of carbon and pollution for transporting maybe up to 500,000 if the motorists share a ride with at least one passenger.

Only 12,283 buses ply EDSA, according to the same study, but could transport around at least 600,000.

Now just imagine if we follow Neri Colmenares’ proposal for deploying double-deck buses, give buses the priority lanes along EDSA, allow all buses to drop off passengers at MRT stations, and rehabilitate the MRT under public control. At the same time, imagine if we limit cars to one or two lanes along EDSA (or redirect them to the Mabuhay Lanes), or institute zero-car days and hours along the metropolis’ main thoroughfare. More people would be transported quickly and cheaply.

But officials of the MMDA and the DOTr are obviously not poised to solve mass transport problems. They share a mindset that considers commuters as problems, and private cars and privatization as their solutions. They should resign en masse for making Metro Manila commute worse – slower and more expensive.

Commuters do not ask for much. We just demand adequate buses and trains, that could quickly transport people across the city quickly and cheaply. We demand direct connection of provincial buses to the city buses and city trains. We demand that EDSA and major public highways and roads prioritize public mass transport. We also demand the rehabilitation, expansion, and publicly controlled operations of the PNR. We demand a review of all government policies that favor private interests to the detriment of public interests. We demand public traffic and public transport officials who could offer solutions to the public, not prioritize giving profits to private interest friends. If tax money ought to be used, these should go to go to public buses, public bus stops, public transportation-related infrastructure.

Public transport woes demand solutions that don’t consider the public as problems and make those problems even worse, or turn public offices into business development units for private interests.