BBB to reduce Metro Manila transport cost to P2 B daily

The completion of projects under the administration’s Build Build Build program will significantly reduce the transport cost in Metro Manila to P2.13 billion per day by 2022 from P3.5 billion in 2017, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said yesterday.

Last year, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said according to the preliminary figures from the Metro Manila Transport Roadmap, the worsening traffic in Metro Manila has been costing the country’s transportation sector P3.5 billion daily as of 2017.

JICA defines the economic cost of transportation as vehicle operating cost spent by drivers and passengers along the road network in Metro Manila.

This has increased from P2.4 billion in 2014 and was attributed to the rapid expansion of Metro Manila proper which covers 17 cities and the Mega Manila area — which includes the adjacent provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite

The Infrastructure Committee (Infracom) of NEDA has endorsed for NEDA board approval the results and recommendations of the Followup Survey on the Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for the Greater Capital Region or the Roadmap 2 containing updated findings.

“With the Build Build Build projects now underway, the public can expect a significant reduction in traffic congestion in Metro Manila as some of the projects near completion,” said Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, who chaired the Infracom meeting this week.

With technical assistance from the JICA, Roadmap 2 updated the information and results of the Metro Manila Transport Roadmap, which was approved by the NEDA Board in 2014.

Under Roadmap 2, the impact of the Build Build Build program, as well as proposed additional projects, on the overall transport network performance of Mega Manila was analyzed for the short-term or by 2022, and for the long-term or by 2035.

The transport projects under study include 29 railway projects, 14 road-based public transport projects, two traffic management projects, 15 expressway projects, nine bridge/flyover projects, and 38 urban road projects, among others, with a total investment requirement of at least P2.8 trillion until 2035.

For the long-term scenario in year 2035, the completion of the proposed investment program for Metro Manila will bring down transport costs from P3.5 billion per day in 2017 to P2.40 billion per day.

“We know that Filipinos desire greater mobility. The Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 also calls for efficiency in cities and connectivity between growth centers and lagging areas to promote growth and reduce regional disparities. This is why we are making our transport system convenient and efficient,” said NEDA Undersecretary for Investment Programming Jonathan Uy.