Stop trying to reinvent the wheel

ONE FOR THE ROAD

Has anyone else noticed that more and more intersections are now imposing the no right turn on red signal rule? Can anyone explain what exactly they are trying to achieve with this? I thought the goal here was to keep cars moving? Or at least keep them on the road for the least amount of time as possible. But instead, by introducing this scheme, we have only found another way to keep them there longer. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the red arrow system; there is value and logic in prioritizing oncoming traffic that is turning left on their green light, or to improve pedestrian safety. But aside from those scenarios, there are many other opportunities for those turning right on a red signal where instead of keeping them moving, intersections that impose this rule force vehicles to sit there idling senselessly through multiple cycles of the traffic light, even though there are zero points of conflict with other vehicles — like when traffic coming from the right has a green left arrow that completely shields those turning right on red. 

Take the intersection outside my condo as an example. They introduced this rule recently. Someone mentioned it was because a pedestrian was hit by a car recently, but if that is the case, then why does the pedestrian light go green at the exact same time as the green light for those turning right? If anything, it just made it more dangerous because both now feel they have right of way, as opposed to before when the car used to have to turn each time with caution.

And aside from pedestrians being more vulnerable, we have even more irate drivers, because what was once a very easy intersection to navigate through, now has cars backed up to the intersection before it, causing unnecessary delays, wasted fuel, as well as a lot of extra pollution and aggression. And for what? What problem did they solve? We need to know this. 

Because every problem solved should be weighed against the ones it creates. And as tax paying motorists and road users, we have every right to ask what those gains were, don’t you think? Because at the end of the day, it is us who suffer the most. It is not just our money, it is also our time. So stop experimenting with us. Just follow best practices around the world and for the love of everything holy, stop trying to reinvent the wheel. 

I feel strongly about this because every decision made with traffic creates a ripple effect. And in a highly congested megatropolis like Metro Manila, you have to be very sure about the reasons you are doing it for and measure out any gains versus the losses, because when you multiply that effect by the volume of vehicles we have on the road, every bad decision turns into countless hours of lost productivity, increased stress levels, as well as wasted time and money. Enough already. 

It is time we start demanding answers and accountability. Stop handing these decisions over to people who don’t even drive. Because most of them can’t seem to tell the difference between a right turn and a wrong one.