Problem of Transportation System in the Philippines

The Philippines and the World Bank last week signed agreements for a US$60 million
loan and aUS$1.3 million equivalent grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF)
today for the Metro ManilaTransport Integration Project (MMURTRIP).Traffic and
related environmental problems have reached serious proportions in Metro
Manila,affecting its more than 10 million residents, with vehicles traveling on the
average no faster than 15 kph ona weekday along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
Metro Manilans who often walk, use buses, jeepneys,and tricycles, are the worst
affected. The project is expected to improve traffic management, thereby savingtravel
time for many pedestrians and commuters from the lower income groups, who account
for 75 percentof all trips in Metro Manila. A major benefit, too, will be an improvement
in the environment and safety of the city. The project will provide good pedestrian
interchange facilities, public transport lanes, and will alsofocus on landscaping and
improving the overall urban street environment. The project will also build on
theadvances the government has made recently in urban transport, for example
phasing out leaded gasoline."It is my privilege to sign today the agreements for
MMURTRIP

my first to sign in my capacity asWorld Bank Country Director for the Philippines," said
the new World Bank Country Director for thePhilippines, Robert Vance Pulley, who
assumed office in July. "I hope that, in due time, with the diligentimplementation of
DPWH, MMDA and the City of Marikina, the general riding public will reap
maximumbenefits from the Project, in terms of travel time savings, safety on the street,
and in the case of Marikinaresidents, a cleaner air to be brought about by less
motorized traffic and congestion," he said.The Project is a unique collaboration among
the Department of Public Works (DPWH), theMetropolitan Manila Development
Authority, (MMDA), and the City of Marikina. DPWH is the overallexecuting
agency.MMURTRIP includes the following 5 components in the 12 cities and 5
municipalities that make upthe Metro Manila area:

Traffic Management Improvements

along the EDSA, Light Rail Transport (LRT) 2 and 3 and SouthLuzon Expressway
corridors to improve street level collection and dispersal of passengers. MMDAis the
implementing agency for this component.

Marikina-Rizal-Pasig (MARIPAS) Access Improvements

in the Marikina Valley, including theMarikina Bridge and access road component and
the Marcos Highway and Ortigas AvenueExtension. DPWH is the implementing agency
for these MARIPAS access improvements.

Secondary Roads Program for 15 road sections

, including pavement rehabilitation, drainage andsidewalk improvements, traffic
management, and construction of missing links for comprehensivecorridor treatment so
that there will be better traffic dispersal and lesser congestion in arterialroads. DPWH
will be the implementing agency for 10 of the roads while MMDA will implement for the
other 5 roads.

Nonmotorised Transport
in the City of Marikina under Global Environment Facility funding whichwill pilot a
bikeways system to connect communities with employment centers and LRT
stations.The City of Marikina will implement this component.

Institution Building/Technical Assistance

to establish and strengthen institutions responsible for future urban transport
management in Metro Manila. This is targeted at and will be implemented bythe
MMDA.The Global Environment Facility was established to forge international
cooperation and finance actionsto address four critical threats to the global
environment: biodiversity loss, climate change, degradation of international waters, and
ozone depletion.
Notable Problems in Transportation System in the Philippines

Traffic congestion and parking difficulties

. Congestion is one of the most prevalent transport problems in large urban
agglomerations, usually above a threshold of about 1 million inhabitants. It is
particularly linked with motorization and the diffusion of the automobile, which has
increased the demand for transport infrastructures. However, the supply of
infrastructures has often not been able to keep up with the growth of mobility. Since
vehicles spend the majority of the time parked, motorization has expanded the demand
for parking space, which has created space consumption problems particularly in
central areas; the spatial imprint of parked vehicles is significant. Congestion and
parking are also interrelated since looking for a parking space (called "cruising")creates
additional delays and impairs local circulation. In central areas of large cities cruising
may account for more than 10% of the local circulation as drivers can spend 20
minutes looking for a parking spot. This practice is often judged more economically
effective than using a paying off-street parking facility as the time spent looking for a
free (or low cost) parking space as compensated by the monetary savings. Also, many
delivery vehicles will simply double-park at the closest possible spot to unload their
cargo.

Longer commuting

. On par with congestion people are spending an increasing amount of timecommuting

between their residence and workplace. An important factor behind this trend is
relatedto residential affordability as housing located further away from central areas
(where most of theemployment remains) is more affordable. Therefore, commuters are
trading time for housingaffordability. However, long commuting is linked with several
social problems, such as isolation, aswell as poorer health (obesity).

Public transport inadequacy

. Many public transit systems, or parts of them, are either over or under used. During
peak hours, crowdedness creates discomfort for users as the system copeswith a
temporary surge in demand. Low ridership makes many services financially
unsustainable,particularly in suburban areas. In spite of significant subsidies and crossfinancing (e.g. tolls)almost every public transit systems cannot generate sufficient
income to cover its operating andcapital costs. While in the past deficits were deemed
acceptable because of the essential servicepublic transit was providing for urban
mobility, its financial burden is increasingly controversial.

Difficulties for non-motorized transport

. These difficulties are either the outcome of intense traffic, where the mobility of
pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles is impaired, but also because of a blatant lack of
consideration for pedestrians and bicycles in the physical design of infrastructures and
facilities.

Loss of public space

. The majority of roads are publicly owned and free of access. Increased traffic has
adverse impacts on public activities which once crowded the streets such as markets,
agoras, parades and processions, games, and community interactions. These have
gradually disappeared to be replaced by automobiles. In many cases, these activities
have shifted to shopping malls while in other cases, they have been abandoned
altogether. Traffic flows influence the life and interactions of residents and their usage
of street space. More traffic impedes social interactions and street activities. People
tend to walk and cycle less when traffic is high.

Environmental impacts and energy consumption

. Pollution, including noise, generated by circulation has become a serious impediment
to the quality of life and even the health of urban populations. Further, energy
consumption by urban transportation has dramatically increased and so the
dependency on petroleum. Yet, peak oil considerations are increasingly linked with

peak mobility expectations where high energy prices incite a shift towards more
efficient and sustainable forms of urban transportation, namely public transit.

Accidents and safety

. Growing traffic in urban areas is linked with a growing number of accidents and
fatalities, especially in developing countries. Accidents account for a significant share
of recurring delays. As traffic increases, people feel less safe to use the streets.

Land consumption
. The territorial imprint of transportation is significant, particularly for the automobile.
Between 30 and 60% of a metropolitan area may be devoted to transportation, an
outcome of the over-reliance on some forms of urban transportation. Yet, this land
consumption also underlines the strategic importance of transportation in the economic
and social welfare of cities.

Freight distribution
. Globalization and the materialization of the economy have resulted in growing
quantities of freight moving within cities. As freight traffic commonly shares
infrastructures with the circulation of passengers, the mobility of freight in urban areas
has become increasingly problematic. City logistics strategies can be established to
mitigate the variety of challenges faced by urban freight distribution.
Mitigation

Ramp metering
. Controlling the access to a congested highway by letting automobiles in one at atime
instead of in groups. The outcome is a lower disruption on highway traffic flows.

Traffic signal synchronization

. Tuning the traffic signals to the time and direction of traffic flows.This is particularly
effective if the signals can be adjusted on an hourly basis to reflect changes in
commuting patterns.

Incident management
. Making sure that vehicles involved in accidents or mechanical failures are removed as
quickly as possible from the road. Since accident on average account between 20 and
30% of all the causes of congestion, this strategy is particularly important.

Carpooling
. Concerns two issues. The first and most common is an individual providing rider ship
to people (often co-workers) having a similar origin, destination and commuting time.
Two or more vehicle trips can thus be combined into one. The second involves a pool
of vehicles (mostly cars, but also bicycles) that can be leased for short durations when
mobility is required. Adequate measures must be taken so that supply and demand are
effectively matched.

HOV lanes
. High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes insure that vehicles with 2 or more passengers
(buses, vans, carpool, etc.) have exclusive access to a less congested lane,
particularly during peak hours.