The MMDA struggles

IT USED to be that EDSA had six wide lanes on both directions.

This was reduced to five lanes each when the MRT3 Light Rail project was constructed. This was because MRT3 was constructed in a way that part of it will be at grade level and the other part elevated.

Because of this, some parts of EDSA are wider than other parts.

Some portions have more than five lanes while others have exactly five lanes.

In intersections where there are overpasses, we can see narrower lanes of about four lanes only.

This being the case, traffic flow can be adversely affected.

Vehicles oftentimes behave like flowing water by seeking available spaces when there is gridlock but when these vehicles try to go back to the regular lanes bottlenecks occur thereby slowing traffic flow.

Over the years, due mainly to lack of driver discipline and the others engineering interventions done on EDSA by traffic authorities in the vain attempt to improve traffic flow, travel time has in fact slowed considerably.

We know that one reason for this is the tremendous increase of vehicles using the road.

Still, there are engineering reasons why travel time has slowed and these are the barricades and lane conditions mentioned above.

The other is assigning lanes for the exclusive use of certain types of vehicles like motorcycles and bicycles.

Still another reason is the worsening discipline of motorists caused by the traffic gridlock resulting in many road rage incidents.

Now, the MMDA, in another attempt to improve traffic flow along EDSA, wants to remove the bicycle lanes and transfer the use of that lane to motorcycles.

Predictably, the organizations representing both are up in arms against the plan.

The bicycle group does not like their lane to be given to the motorcycle riders while the motorcycle group wants better enforcement to solve the motorcycle problem along EDSA.

What should MMDA do?

Let me first say that I am not anti-bicycle. How I wish that the Metro area is a bicycle friendly Capital City like Amsterdam.

Unfortunately, it is not for many good reasons.

Considering the traffic volume along EDSA, it is the wrong place to have an exclusive bike lane due to underutilization.

Although the exclusive bicycle lane there is only half a lane, one lane has actually been lost.

The MMDA figure of 1,600 riders a day is almost certainly an exaggeration.

I stood for a couple of hours in two places along EDSA at one time to count the number of bicycle riders using EDSA and, in those two hours, I counted one rider each in both places.

One reason for this is perhaps because no bike rider will start from Caloocan to go and work in Makati.

It is too long a bike ride. But it should be encouraged on other roads within city limits of each of the 17 cities and municipalities of the NCR.

Another reason could be that EDSA is basically used for intercity travel that is why if we do a cost benefit analysis whether the bike lane is all worth it, the MMDA is right in wanting to recover it to maximize EDSA’s usage.

But MMDA should have known this long ago.

The problem is with government refusing to allocate funds so that the use of technology can be maximized to improve tra c management and enforcement

Now, MMDA wants to give that lane to motorcycles which will be committing the same mistake.

There used to be a motorcycle lane along EDSA which failed. Good enforcement is the better bet but it must be done in a way that it works.

The problem is with government refusing to allocate funds so that the use of technology can be maximized to improve traffic management and enforcement.

The preferred step is simply increasing traffic enforcers.

Technology, however, can multiply many times over what a single traffic enforcer can do.

Unfortunately, when the MMDA introduced the no contact apprehension being practiced all over the world, bright people went to the Supreme Court for an injunction which the Supreme Court shockingly granted.

t is, therefore, safe to say that the traffic future of NCR is bleak.

One free solution, however, that can do wonders is practicing a little driving discipline and patience to make travel around the NCR less stressful.

That way, we can all live longer.