The Metro Manila Development Authority deserves praise for doing its best to solve Metro Manila’s traffic problem. Of course, this is not to say that the MMDA has already succeeded. This is just an acknowledgment of the agency’s efforts.
What has the MMDA done so far? It has installed pink fences along major roads to designate assigned areas for private vehicles, public utility vehicles and even pedestrians. It has maintained the implementation of the number coding scheme. It has widened a number of roads. All these have proved to be effective in improving the flow of vehicles to some extent. I sincerely hope the MMDA comes out with an ultimate solution, although I seriously doubt that is possible.
Let’s also give some credit to the traffic enforcers of the various local government units. Their participation in traffic management also has some value.
Still, despite their combined efforts, Metro Manila traffic remains as chaotic as ever.
In my opinion, solving Metro Manila’s traffic problem requires more than just putting up fences, limiting the number of vehicles and building wider roads. I think the traffic problem would be best addressed with some serious legislation.
My appreciation of the traffic situation stems from having experienced moving around Metro Manila on board my own vehicle or any of the available public transportation such as the MRT, buses, FX taxis and jeepneys (I avoid riding regular taxis because I don’t like setting myself up to be robbed). Simply put, I am both a commuter and a motorist. In either case, my observation always ends with the conclusion that the root cause of the problem is the lack of discipline among PUV drivers.
Some may argue that many private motorists also lack discipline. That is true. But, as far as I’m concerned, the bigger blame for the problem goes to PUV drivers. It is my contention that many private motorists — and that includes me — are only forced to drive like undisciplined maniacs on the road because of the driving style of PUV drivers.
I did some experiments of my own to see if my hypothesis has any validity. One time while driving along Espana, Manila, I decided that I was going to stay on one lane from Welcome Rotonda all the way to Quiapo. No matter how hard I tried I always ended up switching to another lane for the simple reason that jeepneys and buses were swerving all around me, forcing me to swerve as well to avoid getting hit. I also found out that by keeping to one lane there is a big possibility that I will not make it to my destination on time because these PUV drivers have the habit of “parking” their vehicles just about anywhere they please.
As a commuter, I have also observed that PUV drivers are the most reckless of all motorists. Bus drivers are particularly notorious. They swerve and move in and out of lanes with impunity as if they were driving a Mini. No wonder accidents involving buses have become a daily occurence.
So there’s my claim. Undisciplined PUV drivers are the root cause of the traffic problem. I’m convinced that, if PUV drivers will just observe traffic rules and avoid swerving, hogging lanes, loading and unloading just about anywhere, most private motorists will find it easier to drive properly as well.
Another thing I observed that I think contributes to the problem is the selective enforcement of traffic rules and regulations. I’m sure other private motorists have noticed this as well. Traffic enforcers tend to give puv drivers more leeway. Take for instance swerving. If you regularly travel along Eliiptical Road in Quezon City you would have noticed that buses coming from Commonwealth Avenue make the approach to East Avenue starting from the innermost lanes of this particularly wide stretch of road. As such, these buses have to swerve and cross at least four lanes from across the Quezon Avenue entry point to the East Avenue exit point. Not a few accidents involving these buses have occured in this area alone. What is noticeable is that traffic enforcers manning that area don’t seem to mind these reckless drivers. What they normally concentrate on are the private motorists making the approach to the Quezon Avenue exit point. Ironically, their usual case against the private motorists they apprehend is swerving.
So what am I driving at? I contend that, for the most part, traffic enforcers are not helping at all in instilling discipline among PUV drivers. They really prefer apprehending private motorists. And, this is a fact that I can attest to because I have personally been in a situation where I was apprehended for getting stuck in the middle of an intersection while the driver of the jeepney ahead of me was allowed to go on his way without even an admonition. This selective enforcement will be discussed further in another post.
Going back to my issue against PUV drivers, I strongly believe the time is right to abandon any more attempts to discipline them. They will just continue violating traffic rules as long as their incomes are based on the number of passengers they pick up. I therefore propose a more drastic approach and this is where our lawmakers should come in. I suggest the following:
- Pass legislation to ban jeepneys from major roads. Limit jeepney routes to the smaller inner roads.
- Pass legislation to change the way PUV drivers are paid.
- Pass legislation to support the development of a more organized bus transport system whereby buses are assigned specific loading and unloading bays.
- Pass legislation for the development of a real Mass Transit System similar to those in Hong Kong, Singapore and other territories lucky enough to have such a system.
I started this piece with a reference to the MMDA. I have a reason for that. I want to call attention to the fact that, while the MMDA’s projects have their merits, it is becoming painfully clear that those fences, u-turn slots, road widening projects etcetera etcetera are nothing more than a circumvention to avoid actually putting erring PUV drivers in their proper place.
At this point I would like to clarify that these are just suggestions. As with all my other posts here, this piece is just meant to start up a brainstorming session of sorts. If you feel strongly about criticizing any of these suggestions go ahead just be sure to go about it in a constructive way.
I remember our boss and friend Alex F. Ontong telling me years ago that our problem is that we do not have a PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM. I was a bit puzzled until he explained that a Public Transport System.
A public transport system, he said, was composed of all modes of transport organized to service particular routes. Take the Love Bus of the years gone by, he said, it would have been part of a system. It had a route, it had a schedule, and it had specific stops. The LRT, when it came on line in the 1980s, would have been another part of the system.
Our jeeps, buses, LRTs, and trains are not organized in a system that would make travelling throughout the city safe, convenient, and fast.
The only sense of organization you can get from jeeps and buses is when they pressure the public and the LTFRB for fare increases or when somebody tries to correct their abuses.
When was the last time did they join a rally for cleaner air, better road safety, or a dozen other things that would make better at giving their customers service?
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I agree with the suggestion to improve on the mass rail transit. A national rail with stations in major cities is a must. More city/metro rails are needed as well. Also, these railway stations need to interconnect to the air & sea ports, and bus terminals. One reason why foreign tourists dislike visiting Philippines is the difficulty in getting to their destination. We don’t even have an efficient way to transfer passengers from NAIA terminal 1 to the 2 other terminals.
As to the jeepneys, I hate to say this but this mode is obsolete. We don’t even have good engineering standards for these jeepneys. And they are one of the big contributors of air pollution because the engines are second-hand from Japan or elsewhere. There was reference made to Hong Kong, there they use mini-buses for shorter routes and narrower roads.
About taxi service, I think one of the reasons taxi service is not so good is we have individual persons as operators. The problem with this set-up is that the maintenance of the units are not up to standards. Whereas if real companies are running it the proper authorities can impose rules much easier.
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Jeepney: Blessing or Curse?
The jeepney had been a symbol of Filipino culture and ingenuity. Modified from surplus American jeeps to accommodate many passengers, it had been around since the end of World War II as the staple of public transportation all over the country, especially in big cities.
I admit that my frustration with Manila traffic contributed much to my thoughts in this post. But I believe that the jeepney today, instead of being the blessing that it had been in the past 60 years, has become an archaic relic of the past, an invention that had its day, and should be encased in a museum of Philippine history.
Its predominance in the highways and byways has turned from a blessing to a curse. Because of the lack of discipline, and knowledge of and obedience to traffic rules, regulations and signs, it is the main cause of the horrible Metro Manila traffic. It is the primary culprit of the noxious smog that envelops most urban areas. (How do these chimneys pass the anti-smog inspection?) Most of them have little or no insurance, and coupled with lack of discipline and knowledge, they cause many costly accidents.
The secondary problems that jeepneys cause are many: long commute hours, low-productivity, respiratory health problems, waste of gas, and corruption among traffic police and enforcers, in addition to hearing problems because of the blaring radios!
Possible Solutions
It is difficult to pinpoint one or two causes of the huge traffic problems in metro areas because there are many. But in addition to the lack of discipline among all drivers and out-of-control motorcycle and tricycle drivers, I can see two other major contributors.
The first is the number of commuters all day long because, for one thing, even the simplest transactions cannot be done by phone or online, but only in person. What can be done about this? Not much, really, until corruption and dishonesty are kept in check. Online shopping, banking and document processing are probably years, if not decades away from reality, but doable.
The second is the so-called boundary or surcharge system among bus and jeepney operators. How does this contribute to traffic congestion? Simply, in the mad scramble for passengers because their earnings depend on the number of passengers they can get in a day’s driving, drivers stop and park anywhere, even in the middle of the roads, tying up traffic.
As an engineer, I always get into a solutions mode when I see problems and think of ways to improve on how things are done—I also had experience as an industrial process engineer. It would be extremely difficult—some would say even impossible—but nothing less than a comprehensive mass transportation overhaul would suffice, beginning with government ownership. First, jeepneys should be phased out from all major roads and highways and replaced with urban mass transit such as buses and trains. Second, employees of this government-owned transport system should be salaried, which means they get paid fixed monthly salaries that are even better than what they earn today with their hard work. Third, these buses and trains should be operated according to a fixed schedule, being dispatched with frequency based on the time of day. Fourth, all buses from outside Metro Manila should be allowed only at the fringes of the metro area. Fifth, designated bus stops should be strictly enforced.
What happens to all the jeepney drivers and barkers? They would be absorbed and retrained into the mass transport system as drivers, conductors, inspectors, dispatchers, mechanics, janitors, etc. Drivers should be retrained and reprogrammed so that discipline and obedience is hardwired into their brains. The traffic enforcers, in addition, should also be paid regular fixed salaries.
One other thing that seemed to work for the MRT and LRT trains is the seating configuration. The buses could also be configured in the same way, with seats only on the sides for women, elderly and the handicapped, so that the aisles are wide maximizing the density of passengers per square meter of road. There could even be segregation of women, elderly and the handicapped from the rest of the bus, as in the trains. There should be wide doors in the front, middle and back, so the time to load and unload is minimized.
I’m sure that there are many more improvements that mass transport experts can think of to untie the big traffic mess and lessen the misery of commuters.
The above may sound like a pipe dream, but would be a small start and would only work, obviously, if corruption is minimized. The transportation czar should run the system like a business for profit, but with rules and regulations strictly enforced throughout the system.
Now the big question is where to find that honest, incorruptible transportation czar.
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Join us, join our cause! I Hate Undisciplined Pinoy Motorcycle Drivers
http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Hate-Undisciplined-Pinoy-Motorcycle-Drivers/135328629827880?v=wall
Rider Hater
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