Removing coding window hours and why it still won’t work

EDITORS DESK

Over the past couple of weeks, the Council of Metro Manila Mayors have once again been debating whether to remove the window hours in the current number coding scheme for vehicles, effectively banning certain vehicles for an entire day of the week. The debate has once again resurfaced as traffic is returning to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, the holidays are closing in and so too are sales from major malls. These are expected to contribute to the growing number of cars on the road.

Furthermore, there are even more auto brands for the car-buying public to choose from, with many offering very affordable small vehicles at very tempting prices and installment packages. The same goes for motorcycles and electric vehicles, both with far more accessible models designed to make personal mobility attainable.

While the council has yet to come to a decision, the possibility of its implementation looms heavily over many motorists' heads. Many are already pondering ways to get around it, whether by carpool plans, getting another vehicle to circumvent coding, or even by changing mode of transportation to a smaller electric scooter.

A step backwards

No matter what the Council of Mayors propose, it seems like the vehicles on the road are bound to increase. The problem here is that, for those who have tasted taking private vehicles, taking public transportation again is never an option. This is despite many improvements to the system such as the new EDSA busway, the new modern jeepneys, and even electric tricycles in some areas. Still, these are hardly ever considered by the car-driving public.
This is the real battle that the Council of Mayors must address. More studies should be put into why private transportation seems to be every worker’s primary aspiration. Public transportation is always viewed as a step backward, perhaps even a downgrade in one’s status in life. Few, if any, make the conscious decision to give up their cars or motorcycles and leave the driving to someone else. It’s always, “What else can I drive to get to work?” Never, “What should I give up?” After all, many feel like they have earned the right to travel privately.

The conundrum is one that many have taken a stab at by mixing public and private means with mixed results. For one, there was the creation of bicycle lanes on many roads, which remain barely used to this day. Another novel idea was allowing folding bikes on trains so that more commuters can use them and simply unfold their bikes for the last couple of kilometers. The pandemic saw wide adoption of three-wheel e-bikes thanks to the lenient driving requirements on local roads, however, their parking is now becoming an issue for some. Finally, there’s the hope that the new trains and lines currently under construction will further decongest traffic.
 

The personal bubble

Nonetheless, the one thing the many public transportation cannot compete with is the freedom and liberty of a personal transport vehicle. After all, why learn the timetables, routes, and stops when one can simply hop on a scooter or car, leave any time they like, and go anywhere they want to go?
Personal transport vehicles serve as a bubble of personal space, some me-time, amid a hectic schedule in a crowded and chaotic city. Taking them offers a little shred of sanity, a place to let your guard down, and a space to prepare for whatever the next destination may throw at you.

The same can’t be said of public transportation where passengers are squeezed into tight spaces, prepare change for the fare, look out for their stop, and have to constantly watch their belongings for snatchers or guard against perverts and molesters.

Some may criticize this as a stupid idea, but perhaps if public transportation came with little cubicles around each seat, recreating that personal bubble many car-drivers love so much, we might finally be convinced to give up our cars. Granted, we’d need more modern jeeps, buses, and trains on the road to account for the extra space of cubicles, but wouldn’t those still take up less space than a car for each commuter? 
The solution to the traffic isn’t more coding, jeeps, buses, and trains. It lies in first understanding the problem itself.

(Iñigo S. Roces is the Motoring Editor of Manila Bulletin)