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Bad Traffic: Davao & Manila
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Who do you think should be blame in Manila traffic or any city in the Philippines like Davao?
pinoyjoy
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Based on observations from various media outlets, Filipino would always blame the current administration. Who else, right? We would always argue that they are currently running the country or the city, they should do something about it now since they are in power to do so. Personally, I think that traffic problem was already foreseen by our urban planners or possibly by the National Economic and Development Authority or NEDA. I also think that NEDA proposed or submitted infrastructure projects that to the implementing agencies but didn’t or wasn’t able to act on it. Personally, I would blame our political and development system. I think we should have a system when we build an infrastructure, growth should be taking into account, particularly population growth. It’s not a wild guess, our statistic engineers and experts knows how to do this thing and it should be part of planning. Growth is inevitable and given the available data, they can analyze the possible growth of population and they can recommend what or how big a structure should be built. As an example here in Davao City, they built a two-lane by-pass road which appears to be insufficient for at least two years now. I ask myself every time I pass to the road mentioned, why they didn’t built a four-lane road instead? Perhaps they don’t have much funding? Or maybe use the funding for other priority projects? Another example also here in Davao, why would the government allow a huge school and university be built in a highly urbanized area like Matina and not to under-developed area? City planning should have thought how much traffic load it will bring to the current flow. The establishments and population have outgrown the infrastructures we have and I doubt our experts haven’t thought about this. On this part, I would blame our politicians for not taking any actions about these issues. Haven’t they envisioned that in the next X number of years our infrastructures and transport system will not be enough? Political will comes into play here and I don’t see anyone from the current generation. If I look at our senators down to local leaders, it’s not part of their propaganda. I might be mistaken here, if there are some, please feel free to correct me. I wanted to see or meet a leader that envision an organized and future-proof development in this country.
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A question close to my heart as I live in Davao, where traffic – and instances of bad driving – have multiplied over the years since I first came here in 2009. Who’s to blame? Local and central government of course. Why? Because the volume of traffic has been known to them for years, but no one in government has gripped the problem. It’s not difficult, but if there’s no money in it for the usual “Miserable Offenders” it’s not going to happen. The reasons for the increase in traffic are – A laughable light rail system, which only exists in the Manila area. No other city or area has a rail system, whereas other countries have built their infrastructure on them since the 19th century.Lack of an organised city transport road system. In other words a Singapore Style bus serviceMulticabs and Jeepneys. There are zillions of these, which carry long-suffering passengers in the quantities that a Wild West Stagecoach could beat – there’s progress for you. Passengers endure a living hell in these things, which have open windows, itinerant thieves, no air con, no safety, bald tyres, smoking exhausts, monkey drivers… and so on. Davao City alone has SEVEN THOUSAND of these wretched things, covering ONE THOUSAND routes. Unbelievable for a city of some 1.6 million. A blessing was the announced HPBS bus service to replace these damned things with 1000 air conditioned buses with free WiFi on around 30 routes, but this has fallen on its arse of course, with only a few buses from outlying areas and no reduction in the multicab/jeepneys they were were supposed to replace. Tragic really – we nearly made it.Road systems. It took 5 years to widen the 2 lane Davao River bridge on the 6-lane Pan Philippines Highway. 5 years. Think about the reasons for that. The next bridge downstream was widened to 4 lanes in less than a year, though the road remains at 2 lanes… Not sure what the intention was, and there are no plans that you can look at.LTO/LTFRB: These august bodies are supposed – according to their mission statements – to provide a “World Class Transportation System” Mark that box as “Failed” and sack the higher management…6-lane roads: These should be great at reducing traffic jams, but they aren’t as they are lined with food stalls, jeepneys, parked semi-trailers, emission shops etc which effectively reduce the highway to one lane. Add to that the multitude of multicabs, taxis, jeepneys et al U-turning and crossing the roads at every junction. Roundabouts and traffic lights are needed to ease the traffic. Never going to happen.Public transport licences: No one has seen it as advisable to limit the phalanxes of 40 or more multicabs in line in every downtown street. Likewise there seems to be at least one new taxi company every day, such that there are also lines of taxis.Private killer vehicles: Yes, looking at you, UV Express*; Anyone taking a ride in your manic minibuses travelling at 80k through crowded highways is taking their lives in their hands. I don’t know who has allowed this company to do business in such a way, but its licence should be immediately revoked – if they even have one? UV Express accident rateOther countries have built bypasses round their towns and cities, with motorways connecting them. They have moved trucks and businesses out of the city centres by building Trading Estates outside the cities reached by the bypasses. Davao has container ports along the shoreline with phalanxes of container lorries along the shoreline highway meaning a 5kph average crawl for most of the roads, with the airport bisecting the town and not allowing any “short cuts” to avoid the traffic. It can be done, and it must be done, but so many administrations have missed the boat (especially the Aquino one, who were told that something like 3billion/day was being lost due to traffic congestion) that every year it gets harder to do. It needs the money and the will to do it. Other countries have, so it’s not impossible. Look at Singapore, with a population of nearly 6 million compared to Davao City with 1.6 and Manila 1.8 million, with Metro Manila 13 million (and a land area suitable for light rail systems to outlying areas such as Kuala Lumpur has with its new MRT – built in around 5 years). But the political will is not there, and it seems never will be. There’s where the blame lies. EDIT*: UV Express is a franchise. The franchise owner is LTFRB. So that’s my question answered at a stroke… Unbelievable – it’s owned by the government…