Manila traffic can be very exhausting. Unfortunately, this has become a norm for the usual drivers and commuters of the Metro. Seeing the usual sights of PUVs, Honda Civics, Mazda 3s, Hyundai Tucsons and Toyota Fortuners in the Philippines to name a few, can bring a massive headache for a lot of us. Now, however, this might become a little easier after the changes that have been implemented in the streets.
Everybody, motorists and commuters alike, for the longest time have had the most difficult time on the roads of Metro Manila. It didn’t matter where they were headed, to work, to class, to somewhere leisurely like meeting with friends, and they all say one thing: the traffic is unbearable. However, the people have been doing nothing but bear it because there is nothing else to do. Because of this outcry of terrible traffic in the city, the commuters have called on President Duterte to fix whatever is broken with the country’s roads, its managers, or its drivers.
According to a survey done by Waze in 2014, Metro Manila had the worst traffic on Earth. Wherever you go, whether it’s a wide highway or a narrow alleys and obscure streets, the cars aren’t moving. Many of Metro Manila’s commuters rely on the railway transport system to cut their way through the traffic, but they suffer through late trains, long lines for tickets, and cabins packed as tightly as a can of sardines.
President Duterte has said that he is going to give his transport secretary powers to deal with the terrible traffic problem of the capital. He has mentioned cutting the processes to hasten the pace of transport projects and that he might allow the transport secretary to declare crisis so that the solutions can be implemented as fast as they can be done. Another thing that President Duterte has suggested is the addition of train carriages to the railways which will hopefully reduce the waiting time of the commuters.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has re-implemented the “no-contact apprehension policy” on stubborn drivers on the major national roads of Metro Manila. The policy will be using closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) mounted on several positions along all the monitored roads. These CCTVs will send images of law-breaking motorists to those overseeing the CCTV feeds. The implementation of this project on Commonwealth Avenue and Diosdado Macapagal Avenues in 2011 was a success, and traffic violation summons piled up on MMDA Chairman Emerson Carlos’ desk. The policy allows motorists to contest the violations, but so far nobody has questioned the traffic violation receipts.
But despite all of these changes planned by the new president, and changes implemented before he was elected, the traffic in Metro Manila, or anywhere, can be relieved by the motorists themselves. It only takes education and discipline. Public utility vehicles such as shuttles, buses, and jeeps should not be unloading in the middle of the road, and everybody should follow traffic rules and regulations such as not going past the yellow line at intersections, not parking on pedestrian lanes, and not running the red light and getting stuck at the intersection causing another lane to get stuck wasting precious go time. This hellish traffic isn’t only the government’s fault, but ours as well. Filipino motorists should educate and discipline themselves. You are not king of the road.
About the author:
Jeric is a freelance writer that features food, lifestyle, travel, animals (mostly creepy crawlies), DIY subjects, and nature. He is an adventurer, taking on the world and everything it has to offer, may it be the good and the bad. He also has a weird love for reggae and sharks. See: Reggae Shark