Traffic congestion in Metro Manila remains a big problem.
The 2023 TomTom Traffic Index released recently showed that Metro Manila has the distinction of having the worst traffic congestion among 387 metropolitan areas in the world. It took motorists in Metro Manila 25 minutes and 30 seconds to travel a 10-kilometer stretch.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency conducted a study in 2014 which showed that the Philippines lost ₱2.4 billion daily due to traffic congestion in Metro Manila. This was projected to increase to ₱3.5 billion in 2017 and will become ₱5.4 billion a day in 2035 if nothing is done to address the problem.
So, the decision of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) to outline a plan to address this lingering problem comes as a welcome development.
As an initial step, MAP recommends the declaration of a traffic crisis in Metro Manila and the creation of a new traffic management team to be headed by a traffic czar appointed by the President. Based on the MAP recommendation, the traffic czar must be “vested with full powers and authority to mobilize, direct and deploy existing relevant resources of the government, both national and local, during the exigency of this crisis.”
Other measures include organizing Metro Manila into four traffic management zones, each with a traffic manager who will be accountable to the traffic czar; the revival of the Mabuhay Lanes to relieve congestion along major routes; implementing the National Economic and Development Authority-formulated National Transport Plan but prioritizing mass public transport over private vehicles.
It also recommended institutionalizing travel demand management by charging private vehicles in high-volume traffic routes during peak travel hours, and rationalizing the jeepney and bus franchising system to institute a one-route, one-franchise system.
Privatizing the EDSA Busway and expanding it to other major thoroughfares, such as Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Sucat Road, Alabang-Zapote Road and others is also part of the list of recommended action.
For mass transportation, it urged the privatization of the operation and maintenance of MRT3 and LRT2 systems to expand capacity, reduce train gaps, and maximize commuter throughput.
To decongest the metro, MAP urged the government to build a government center and transfer all national offices to the New Clark City and impose a moratorium on building new government offices in Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, to add alternate transportation routes, the recommendations include full development of the Pasig River and Laguna Lake passenger ferry system by coming up with a Ro-Ro ferry ship system for passenger and cargo across Manila Bay from Cavite to Bataan. This should be supported by the construction of other infrastructure like bridges over Pasig River to divert and relieve over-concentration of vehicles in existing bridges.
For the expressways system, the recommended measures pushed to provide more on and off-ramps for existing Skyways, while clearing ground-level traffic to enable vehicles to exit or access the ramps; provide more alternate exits and entry points to the NLEX and SLEX tollways to decongest existing tollgates; and construction of more effective and sustainable flood control measures, among others.
While these recommended measures will definitely help address traffic congestion in Metro Manila, all these will come to naught if motorists and commuters will not do their part.
For these measures to succeed, it takes a lot of discipline from everyone. Let’s contribute our share to get out of this traffic mess.