Traffic Problem In Metro Manila (Merged Thread)

[blacklantern]

You have to enjoy traffic para you avoid going insane

 

Tell yourself, traffic is nice . . . sarap ng traffic . . . .

[Bugatti Veyron]

Here's an interesting editorial about Metro Manila's traffic problem, particularly along EDSA. The writer is absolutely right. Traffic has become extremely intolerable lately.

 

http://opinion.inquirer.net/79147/im-mad-mad-as-hell

 

 

I’m mad, mad as hell

By Peter Wallace |Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:11 am | Thursday, October 9th, 2014

 

You should be. And the President should be, too.

 

I was on the road—unmoving—for six hours on Monday due to the gridlock brought about by less than an hour of rain. This is a disgrace. It’s simply nothing more or less than a failure of government. It has no excuse, although no doubt excuses will be presented. Well, I won’t accept them. Enough is enough, and that enough is long past.

 

Read again what I said as introduction to my Feb. 13 column: “I was stuck in traffic the other day, and other day, and other day. It’s the unacceptable norm now. And it won’t do. And it needn’t do, if there’s one simple thing: ACTION, instead of talk. What is needed is control, control that would cost next to nothing except firm political will to enforce sensible traffic rules.”

 

That was last February, but I started complaining four years ago. I wrote about the woes of traffic first on Dec. 17, 2010, then April 15, 2011, then May 11, 2012, then Feb. 13, 2014, then March 6, 2014. Five columns, with a number of sensible, doable suggestions. Yet none—I repeat, none—has been done. It’s a primary reason we have the mess we do today. Action hasn’t happened; if it had, we wouldn’t have the chaos we do today.

 

The Japan International Cooperation Agency did an extensive study of traffic and infrastructure and estimated that the economy was losing P2.4 billion a day in potential income through traffic delays. You need no more justification than that to spend money, and lack of money is no excuse for nonaction. You need no more justification than that to get things done—now.

 

Will the President finish his term with gridlock so bad that the only solution will be to pour concrete over all the cars stranded on the roads, and start anew? Or will he crack the whip and get action?

 

What did I suggest? Best that you read the columns but here’s a summary. And mind you, many others have made good, doable suggestions, too. The solutions are well-known; there’s no need for more studies, more plans, only for action.

 

The suggestions I’ve raised over four years (with explanations given as to why at the time):

 

 

 

• Take half the buses off Edsa (December 2010). A recent report says 3,000, leaving a sensible 500.

 

• Pay bus drivers a fixed wage, and force them to stay in line and stop only at designated bus stops.

 

• Encourage pooling (three people or more in a car) and a dedicated lane for buses, taxis and these cars.

 

• Hire hundreds of traffic aides and TRAIN them to ensure smooth traffic flow.

 

• Keep intersections clear, with traffic aides at every intersection to enforce it. And fine violators.

 

• Move cars involved in an accident off the road after taking a photo if they can be moved.

 

• Resurface the roads, so you can move faster: The test should be: Can you text?

 

• Discipline jeepneys as to where to stop, and only against the curb. No doubling up.

 

• Close the bottom Dasma gate in the mornings. The few getting kids to school is disrupting hundreds, nay thousands, coming from SLEx.

 

• Don’t allow on-street parking on Makati’s side roads so these can be used as alternate routes. If you own a car, you must have somewhere to park it.

 

• Waiting for kids or passengers on the main road outside schools and malls should not be allowed. They must provide off-road access.

 

• Put large screens at SLEx ramp outlets with cameras down below showing the traffic condition so you can choose the exit to take.

 

• Get Subic and Batangas operating as planned, as alternate international ports (suggested BEFORE the chaos that the Manila mayor caused).

 

• Cancel all driver’s licenses and require retesting of driving competence and knowledge of road rules. Start with drivers holding professional licenses.

 

• Have “P” plates, a provisional license for the first six months where if you have an accident or violation, you lose it and can’t reapply for a year.

 

• Do random checks of PUVs for mechanical condition.

Others have made very good suggestions, too. Some quarters suggest that the government impose fees on vehicles entering the central business district, like Singapore does. It’s a good idea IF you have efficient, accessible public transport as an alternative. Singapore does, Manila doesn’t. So it’s not a workable solution.

 

As I said last March, “What has to be recognized is that even the briefest stop disrupts traffic. A taxi letting off a passenger sends a wave of delay through the smooth flow of traffic. There must be no stopping of any kind on the main thoroughfares, pull into an emergency bay, or into a side street. A nuisance, yes, but just for you. The hundreds behind you benefit. Let’s have signs: THINK OF OTHERS, BE COURTEOUS, GIVE WAY, and so on. Let’s get traffic moving, safely.”

 

One problem is that too many people have a say—the Metro Manila Development Authority, the mayors, the national government agencies assigned to public transportation. You get nothing done like that. Give one entity full power, properly funded to get action, to get things done. And all other entities compelled to comply and support. If that needs a law, pass it in weeks.

 

There’s no shortage of ideas, just a deplorable shortage of doing anything about it. (Yes, I know I’m repeating myself. I have to, in the faint hope of our leaders taking notice.) It’s time for the renowned Filipino patience to come to an end. Government action must now happen, no more plans, no more promises—just ACTION. Otherwise, Manila comes to a halt. Is that to be the President’s legacy—a paralyzed national capital?

 

* * *

 

P.S. After I wrote this, I was stuck again on Wednesday: two hours for what should have been a 30-minute trip. When will this absurdity stop?

 

 

[Alinamnod]

Traffic in the metro is the new normal. Live with it. Patience is a virtue.

[Julianda]

Is there any solution or any hope to solve this problem? Justify your answer. Thank you.

 

 

 

Suggested alternative topic:

 

Minding the problem of monster traffic in M.Manila

 

 

[swynd]

Not until the government takes urban planning seriously. The solution is an effective mass transit system, not more roads nor over/underpasses. Case(s) in point: HK and SG.

[gyros]

retire older models ng sasakyan - oto, jeep, bus, etc.

 

libo libo bagong kotse nadadagdag kada taon pero walang nababawas

 

gayahin yung sa ibang bansa

 

di ako kontra sa mahirap - mahirap din ako at commute lang ako pero makikinabang din ako dito kasi luluwag naman kalsada

[cbr150]

hmmm i guess make the same system like columbia or something that i watch sa youtube, instead of train they use bustrain, so if ever the volume of passeger goes up they just added another bus and they just go looping with out any problem.

[jopoc]

the best way to solve the traffic problem is to

 

a, Improve public transport like the MRT and LRT

b. Buses and jeepneys should be owned and operated by the government in an effective manner, not by private entities

c. taxes on private vehicles must be increased. nowadays, for the mere amount of 30k you can bring home a car

d. widening and creation of more roads

 

all of these must go together

 

 

the solution is not the coding scheme but more on the effective governance and discipline by the people

[Edmund Dantes]

Last Wednesday, after being 4 hours delayed sa domestic flight, timing na rush hour pa sumalubong sakin pagbaba sa NAIA 3! Pagdating ng magallanes sobrang traffic bumulaga. Mula dun hangang megamall inabot ng lampas 2 oras! Sabi wala pa nga daw yan nung holiday rush.

 

Isa lang naman talaga problema sa Metro Manila! Its too congested na. Lampas na tayo sa carrying capacity ng lugar. Dagsa lagi mga tao sa Manila. Most of our countries "protein" goes to manila. Andyan lagi ang best opportunities for anything. Wala halos sa mga probinsya. It does not also help na puros political families ang may ari ng mga probinsya. Mga 100 years na sila pa din nakaupo. Malapalasyo mga bahay nila, pero yung paligid puros kubo. Walang opportunity masyado sa probinsya, squat sa manila. Kahit bigyan mo yan sila ng pera para balikan probinsya nila, ano mapapala nila kung mamamatay naman sila sa gutom dun? Eto para mga proposed ko

 

1. Paunlarin mga probinsya. Kung pwede subukan natin magtransition to more federalized setup. Para bawat probinsya mas umuunlad at di lahat dagsaan sa manila. Buwagin ang political families, kasi habang buhay ang mga political families sa probinsya, napakahirap maginvest ng negosyo dun kung wala kang basbas nila.

 

2. Improve transportation system. Damihan ang rail systems natin

 

3. Agree higher taxes sa mga sasakyan. Mas mabigat o malaki sasakyan mo, mas mahal dapat bayaran ng tax. Kung wala kang parking space, dapat di ka pwede magmay ari ng sasakyan

 

4. Limitahan dami ng bus at jeepneys. Hulihin yung mga walang prangkisa. Ang nakakainis sa mga jeep na yan, pag sila nababanga mo, kelangan mo sagutin pagpapayos ng sasakyan nila at mawawalang kita nila. Pero pag ikaw nabangga nila, sorry lang naman bibigay sayo.

 

5. Linisin mga bangketa. palayasin mga sidewalk vendors, parusahan mga pasaway na pedestrians

 

6. Magtalaga ng mas kokonting loading unloading zone. Ang hirap kasi satin, gusto natin tapat lagi mismo tayo ibababa, ayaw matuto maglakad ng konti. Baka gusto pa yata, may red carpet at bandang sasalubong. Tsaka may oras dapat pagtigil sa isang stop

 

7. Disiplina syempre. Isa pang problema natin, simpleng batas trapiko at batas kalye ayaw pa sundin. Asal hayop na nga sa kalsada, pag sinita mo, sasabihin violated human rights mo.

[vkalbos]

the best way to solve the traffic problem is to

 

a, Improve public transport like the MRT and LRT

b. Buses and jeepneys should be owned and operated by the government in an effective manner, not by private entities

c. taxes on private vehicles must be increased. nowadays, for the mere amount of 30k you can bring home a car

d. widening and creation of more roads

 

all of these must go together

 

 

the solution is not the coding scheme but more on the effective governance and discipline by the people

Agree.

 

e. Old Model Cars must be removed totally...

[Google]

its just a combination of:

 

a. more cars, few roads. why do people buy cars? because:

b. lack of efficient public transportation..... why?

c. lack of proper urban planning and corruption.

 

retiring old cars will not work..... dahil its easy to get a new car these days.... ang baba ng cash outs.

sa akin, ayusin muna ang public transportation.

[Mad Damian]

sa edsa dapat gwa sila ng elevated na daan sa gitna.

para lang sa mga bus para di nila ipitin mga daan sa edsa.

kadalasan sila rin ang dahilan ng pagkatrafik.

tapos pag may aksidente, lahat ng daan apektado.

 

Wala na rin mga tao mag-iintay sa daan ng edsa. lahat aakyat na lang sa elevated highway.

[RED2018]

Here's an interesting commentary on MM traffic:

 

 

http://theduke.blog.com/2014/12/18/metro-traffic-report/

[machme]

Maganda ipatupad ung number scheme even in weekends grabe trapik pag saturday

how will you implement the no. scheme on weekends? even no. lang? what about the odd no?

[Edmund Dantes]

Kahit anong traffic routing scheme patupad, kahit anong road-widening gawin, kung laging dadagsa ng dadagsa mga tao sa manila wala rin magiging epekto nyan. Higit sa dami ng sasakyan, yung dami ng tao ang totoong problema. Ilang pilipino ba sa metro manila ang kaya makabili ng sasakyan sa totoo lang? Dahil maraming tao, maraming kelangan sumakay sa kung saan saan. Tignan nyo na lang ang MRT. Ilang kilometro na ang pila sa taft avenue pa lang. Dati di naman yan ganyan. Ibig sabihin dami lang ng dami ang taong gusto pumunta ng Manila.

 

Pansinin nyo din, ilan bang nakatira sa Manila ngayon ang di galing sa Probinsya? Lahat ng pinakamagagandang employment opportunities laging nasa manila. Pinaka magagaling na eskwelahan nasa manila din. Isama mo pa dyan ang mga main offices na kelangan mo puntahan. Mga hospital na kayang makatugon sa karamdaman mo. Commercial districts etc etc etc.

[danielwtf]

nakakalungkot lang, even if gawin ng government yung mga nabanggit na recommendations above, laging umaalma yung mga tao.

[lomex32]

RH Law - Full Comprehension and Implementation

[glut_func]

more LRT and MRT routes within metro manila para less reliance on land vehicles.

 

if not,

 

more highways para mas madami madadaanan and less congestion on main thoroughfares.

[haroots2]

Kahit anong traffic routing scheme patupad, kahit anong road-widening gawin, kung laging dadagsa ng dadagsa mga tao sa manila wala rin magiging epekto nyan. Higit sa dami ng sasakyan, yung dami ng tao ang totoong problema. Ilang pilipino ba sa metro manila ang kaya makabili ng sasakyan sa totoo lang? Dahil maraming tao, maraming kelangan sumakay sa kung saan saan. Tignan nyo na lang ang MRT. Ilang kilometro na ang pila sa taft avenue pa lang. Dati di naman yan ganyan. Ibig sabihin dami lang ng dami ang taong gusto pumunta ng Manila.

 

Pansinin nyo din, ilan bang nakatira sa Manila ngayon ang di galing sa Probinsya? Lahat ng pinakamagagandang employment opportunities laging nasa manila. Pinaka magagaling na eskwelahan nasa manila din. Isama mo pa dyan ang mga main offices na kelangan mo puntahan. Mga hospital na kayang makatugon sa karamdaman mo. Commercial districts etc etc etc.

 

 

RH Law - Full Comprehension and Implementation

 

I totally agree to this. Economy and religion ang may kasalanan dito. Yung density ratio ng tao vs. sa land area masyado na tayong masikip. Talo pa natin ang China sa density ratio dahil malaki ang bansa nila. I think nasa top 30 tayong most populous country pero and liit liit ng bansa natin. Wala pa dito yung mga milyong nag OFW. Overpopulated na tayo pero sabi ng simbahan okay lang magparami wala naman maipakain.

Also the province, kung ano ang estado ng province nila nung 1960s ganun pa rin ngayon. Yung mga political families ayaw nilang umunlad and maging educated ang mga tao doon kasi gusto nila controlled environment nila. They want to maintain ang area nila as "PROVINCE".

Tayo lang yung may transport problem na di naman umuunlad na bansa. I think wala nang pagasa ang Pilipinas sa current political system natin and sa closed minded ng simbahan. Talo pa nila ang Vatican kung makialam how to implement government policies and projects. Then sa corruption kaya wala tayong budget to do all the above proposals, kung uutang lang talo nannaman sa subsidies ng govt.

 

[Julianda]

RH Law - Full Comprehension and Implementation

 

Fair enough I should say. I hope Pope Francis won't have a say on this one though.

[Edmund Dantes]

 

 

 

I totally agree to this. Economy and religion ang may kasalanan dito. Yung density ratio ng tao vs. sa land area masyado na tayong masikip. Talo pa natin ang China sa density ratio dahil malaki ang bansa nila. I think nasa top 30 tayong most populous country pero and liit liit ng bansa natin. Wala pa dito yung mga milyong nag OFW. Overpopulated na tayo pero sabi ng simbahan okay lang magparami wala naman maipakain.

Also the province, kung ano ang estado ng province nila nung 1960s ganun pa rin ngayon. Yung mga political families ayaw nilang umunlad and maging educated ang mga tao doon kasi gusto nila controlled environment nila. They want to maintain ang area nila as "PROVINCE".

Tayo lang yung may transport problem na di naman umuunlad na bansa. I think wala nang pagasa ang Pilipinas sa current political system natin and sa closed minded ng simbahan. Talo pa nila ang Vatican kung makialam how to implement government policies and projects. Then sa corruption kaya wala tayong budget to do all the above proposals, kung uutang lang talo nannaman sa subsidies ng govt.

 

Malaking sagabal talaga sa kaunlaran ng mga probinsya ang political families. Tama ka, they wanna keep the status quo para habang buhay hari pamilya nila. Lahat ng negosyong papasok dun kelangan ng basbas nila at natural may kickback sila. Hindi lang negosyo, kahit mga infrastructure sa kanila rin dadaan. Mas talamak corruption sa mga probinsya kesa sa national government sa totoo lang. Sa bicol, ang mga Fuentebella 100 years na yan sila nakaupo pero di naman umuunlad talaga balwarte nila. Dapat kasi magkaroon ng mas maraming magagandang employment opportunities sa probinsya hindi yung lahat na lang nasa NCR.

[ryandbest]

I think this will remove the traffic in manila

 

1.) Disciplina sa mga driver.

 

Anjan na masikip ang ating mga kalsada pero kung ma oobserbahan nten na ngkakaron lng ng build up sa EDSA kung saan naka balandra ang mga bus.

 

2.) Mas Mahirap na exam para makakuha ng license.

 

Mg observe kayo sa LTO natatawa n lng ako. My mga my hawak ng student license n mg aaply derecho ng professional license e pag fill up lng ng form ndi marunong.

 

3.) Mas mabibigat na parusa sa mahuhuling driver.

 

sa mga driver kc ang nabubuong prinsipyo sa atin ok lng na mahuli magbabayad k lng nmn eh.

 

4.) Sa Gobyerno dapat pang-matagalan ang iniisip na solusyon.

 

sa mga MMDA no offense pero parang walang kwenta ang christmas lane kasi ibig bang sabihin pasko lng ang iniicipan nten ng solusyon after ng christmas season kahit mg trafic na ok na? Ang gnastos ng gobyerno na bilyon bilyon pra sa rehabilitation ng EDSA para daw makumpara sa mga expressway, ayun sa pag kukumpara ko lubak lubak pa rin. parang ang mga kinuhang karpentero ndi marunong mg semento kc nararamdaman ung dugtungan ng pagkakasemento.

Edited January 10, 2015 by ryandbest

[Gits]

I think this will remove the traffic in manila

 

1.) Disciplina sa mga driver.

 

Anjan na masikip ang ating mga kalsada pero kung ma oobserbahan nten na ngkakaron lng ng build up sa EDSA kung saan naka balandra ang mga bus.

 

2.) Mas Mahirap na exam para makakuha ng license.

 

Mg observe kayo sa LTO natatawa n lng ako. My mga my hawak ng student license n mg aaply derecho ng professional license e pag fill up lng ng form ndi marunong.

 

3.) Mas mabibigat na parusa sa mahuhuling driver.

 

sa mga driver kc ang nabubuong prinsipyo sa atin ok lng na mahuli magbabayad k lng nmn eh.

 

4.) Sa Gobyerno dapat pang-matagalan ang iniisip na solusyon.

 

sa mga MMDA no offense pero parang walang kwenta ang christmas lane kasi ibig bang sabihin pasko lng ang iniicipan nten ng solusyon after ng christmas season kahit mg trafic na ok na? Ang gnastos ng gobyerno na bilyon bilyon pra sa rehabilitation ng EDSA para daw makumpara sa mga expressway, ayun sa pag kukumpara ko lubak lubak pa rin. parang ang mga kinuhang karpentero ndi marunong mg semento kc nararamdaman ung dugtungan ng pagkakasemento.

 

tama! sang ayon ako dito.

Edited January 10, 2015 by Gits

[Julianda]

Not until the government takes urban planning seriously. The solution is an effective mass transit system, not more roads nor over/underpasses. Case(s) in point: HK and SG.

All sort of solutions will be useless as long as the government hinders them.

 

Or in this case, the government is likely the problem itself.

 

Grace Poe finally saw PNoy’s true color

January 6, 2015 7:25 pm

 

“Totally insensitive and treacherous.”

 

I agree that those words precisely describes the Aquino administration’s attitude toward the sad plight of the riding public that depends on the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines in their daily commute.

 

No less than the amiable Senator Grace Poe made the succinct depiction of PNoy’s style of mismanagement over these four-plus years, beginning June 2010.

Insensitive because PNoy and the brains behind him do not seem to care about the working class’ extreme difficulty coping with the costs of living, much less make ends meet what with the prevailing starvation wages.

 

Ironically, Malacañang surreptitiously tells the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Sec. Jun Abaya to raise the MRT and LRT fare rates while jeepney fares are going down, thanks to OPEC’s reduced world oil prices.

 

I suspect that for the sake of enticing private entities to buy out the MRT under the public-private partnership (PPP) program, the brains behind PNoy came up with this brilliant idea of finally raising the fares to create a semblance profitability for the MRT.

 

They reject the idea that MRT along EDSA is an essential public utility system that the government must continue to subsidize.

 

Insensitive, says Senator Poe, because the brains behind PNoy do not seem to realize that somehow they have to justify higher fares with improvements in the train services and facilities.

But, the services and facilities are much worse now than their condition during the Arroyo administration, which PNoy blames for everything that is wrong with it.

 

Senator Poe said the MRT fare hike, in particular, is not justifiable since Congress has just allocated funds for the “special purpose” of the trains’ repairs and other financial needs in the P2.6 trillion 2015 budget.

 

“Kakatapos lang ng budget kung saan nabigyan naman sila ng tamang budget para sa taon na ito, para naman magawa ang dapat nilang gawin sa MRT,” she said.

The senator noted, too, that additional funds have been allocated for the same purpose under the freaking Supplemental Budget passed just like a “midnight insertion.”

 

“Hindi lang iyon, marami pang naibigay sa supplemental budget, sa pagbayad ng buwis nila na hindi nila nababayran, at ibang mga bagay na hiningi nila sa Kongreso. Kaya kami ay nagtataka kasi ni pabulong wala silang sinabi sa amin na baka magtaas sila.”

 

Poe scored the very poor maintenance of the MRT which leads to frequent breakdowns.

But as always, PNoy and the brains that dictate to him from behind conveniently blame everything on the previous Gloria Arroyo and her cronies.

 

Was it Arroyo who was involved in the botched deal on procuring new trains for the MRT, which turned out to be an attempt to corner a multi-million peso kickback from a Czechoslovakian firm Inekon?

 

Or wasn’t it some Malacañang official’s relatives that tried to cash in on the MRT deal?

Utterly treacherous because Malacañang shrewdly timed the implementation of fare hikes before the holidays ended.

 

Senator Poe noted that the DOTC deliberately ruled out holding any public hearing.

“Ito ay ginawa nila na hindi malinaw sa atin at kung kailan nga hindi natin inaasahan. Ito ay treacherous, insensitive. Kasi kung meron silang puso sa pasahero, hindi po dapat nangyari iyan,” Poe said.

 

Merciless, Senator Poe says of PNoy and the brains behind him who do not seem to care about the aggravation that the higher MRT and LRT rates causes to low-income workers and poor students and senior citizens who now have to resort to taking the jeepney during rush hours.

Most people who are used to riding the MRT and LRT chose to take the trains to avoid the traffic gridlock.

 

Suffice it to say that the PNoy, in his inability to think for himself, has allowed those utak-ipis behind him to screw up bigtime.

 

Unfortunately for the desperate Liberal Party (LP), Senator Poe finally found out PNoy’s and his administration’s true colors.

 

I am now more convinced that Senator Poe far knows what she’s doing and what she has been elected to the Senate for. Senator Poe has done her assignment and has proven that she is up to the task.

 

- The Manila Times

[angulardev]

dumadami ng dumadami mga sasakyan tapos di naman lumalaki mga daanan