The more roads you put, the more cars you attract. That is a fact.

With one of the 15 major infrastructure road

projects already underway, commuters and motorists have started to feel the traffic crunch and the frustration
of spending another 1-2 hours longer in commute. The traffic congestion is all the more felt along EDSA, the
major road artery in Metro Manila, where more than two million vehicles pass through every day. This
infrastructure project not only calls for alternative modes of urban transport, but a call towards a lifestyle
change of the commuters.
Urban transport systems
To understand traffic congestion, we must first understand that there are two types of it in Metro Manila:
volume-based and behavior-based. What creates traffic is not just the car dependency ingrained in our culture
by our colonial baggage, but also the way we behave on the road. In Metro Manila, our traffic rules and
regulations are weakly imposed, resulting in undisciplined drivers and traffic gridlocks.
According to transport and infrastructure planning expert Sigurd Grava, who wrote the rather comprehensive
Urban Transportation Systems: Choices for Communities in 2003, there are actually 18 modes of urban
transportation systems: walking, bicycles, motorcycles and scooters, automobiles, paratransit, taxis, buses, bus
rapid transit, trolleybuses, street cars and light rail transit, monorails, heavy rail transit (metro), commuter rail,
automated guideway transit, waterborne modes, special modes, and intermodal terminals. Add to that our
seaports, airports, and other transport modes, and the Philippines should have 20 modes of transportation.
Although private automobiles dominate the transportation scene in many countries, more so in the Philippines,
it cannot be, nor should it be, the only means of urban mobility available. By enumerating the other urban
transportation systems available, it is the hope of urban planners to limit car usage by displacing them, not
replacing them.
Proposals to decongest the traffic along the major thoroughfares that will be affected by the road projects by
road widening, zipper lanes, alternative routes, shifting work schedules, even carpooling have been aired.
However, when it came to alternative modes of transportation, we only have 13: walking, bicycles,
motorcycles/scooters, automobiles, taxis, buses, light and metro rail transits, commuter rail (PNR), paratransit
(the FX shuttles), rickshaws (pedicabs), seaports, and airports.
I think we are missing a major transportation system opportunity because the Pasig River ferry cruise shut
down a few years ago. In a column I wrote a month ago on reviving the Pasig River waterfront development, I
stressed the importance of the Pasig River as a transport corridor to complement the north-south land transport
corridor created by Edsa. The Pasig River is 27 km in length, only 3.2 km longer than Edsa. Think of the
possibilities it can create by mutually reinforcing benefits by raising property values along the riverbanks and
creating new development opportunities. Plus, it offers commuters a sensory experience and reminder of the
existence of the natural world.

On a macro scale, our government can construct a tunnel connecting Cavite and Bataan so that vehicles
heading for provinces north and south would no longer need to pass through Metro Manila.
Compact and pedestrian-friendly communities allow residents to walk to shops, services, cultural resources,
and to their jobs. It also helps reduce traffic congestion and benefit peoples health. Giving people varied
transportation options reduces traffic congestion, protects the environment and encourages physical activity.
Urban design and resiliency are very much interrelated. For instance, green urbanism, our advocacy for green
streets; urban roads and streetscapes should have at least one-third for trees and landscaping, one-third for
pedestrian and bicycles, and one-third for moving traffic lanes.
The Philippines lack a comprehensive, integrated and interdisciplinary approach in road management. For
example, in road widening projects, urban planners and landscape architects are not consulted, resulting in the
cutting down of 100-year old trees when they can be made into traffic islands between pedestrians and moving
vehicles.
Transit-oriented mobility
Limiting vehicular traffic will reduce the number of vehicle miles travelled. Since most vehicle miles are used
for commuting and for running errands, proper urban planningfor instance, with centrally located services
and a good public transportation systemcan minimize or eliminate the need to use a vehicle. One way to
reduce vehicle miles is to build more walkways, making more pedestrian-friendly highways, and charging
motorists who enter congested areas.
In other parts of the world, like in Bogota, Columbia, where traffic used to be a big problem, they restricted car
use by restricting parking, and built a 24-km long bike and pedestrian lane that connected low-income
neighborhoods to the richest part of the city.
They also invested on a bus Rapid Transit network called the Transmilenio that can accommodate 100
passengers and save commuters two hours per day.
In Copenhagen, the bike capital of the world, 37% commute to work using bikes. In some countries, a car-free
day is implemented every week to encourage motorists to give up their cars for a day. In New York, a former
railway called the High Line was turned into an elevated pedestrian walkway. In Singapore, London,
Stockholm, and Milan, a congestion pricing system is implemented to regulate and manage congestion in their
cities. In all the examples, one thing is apparent: priority is given to the pedestrian.
There are three ingredients for successful cities and countries elsewhere in the world: Visionary leadership,
good planning, and good governance. We are lacking in all three. We dont consult the private sectors, because
most of the decisions made in the built environment are done by politicians and with all due respect, lawyers.

Architecture, urban planning, urban design, environmental planning are often not involved in their plans. We
have many capable Filipino environmental planners, urban planners, architects, engineers and scientists who
know the solutions to these problems. Its time to set aside our differences and work towards a common good.

- Felino A. Palafox, Jr.

http://www.manilatimes.net/traffic-congestion-and-alternative-modes-oftransport/78685/
Traffic Problems in the Philippines and Proposed Solutions
How do we feel about traffic? Thats a no-brainer. We hate it. And we feel the same
for its synonyms which all mean that were going to be late for work again, words
like gridlock and congestion.Anyone who has ever visited, worked in or lived in
the Philippines would know how bad the traffic jams are in the cities, particularly
Quezon City, Manila and Makati. The main avenues of these cities and even the
secondary roads are often congested, and the problems of traffic congestion has
become so serious that the economy is affected in no small way. There is a reason
why popular novelist Dan Brown author of The Da Vinci Code and Angels and
Demons mentioned Metro Manilas monumental traffic jams in his book Inferno.
He called Metro Manila the Gates of Hell.
Traffic congestion is prevalent primarily in the cities, particularly Quezon City,
Manila and Makati. The main avenues of these cities and even the secondary roads
are often congested, and the problems of traffic congestion has become so serious
that the economy is affected. While total reduction of congestion is next to
impossible in the Philippines, consistent and serious efforts to improve
transportation infrastructure for Metro Manila including much delayed mass
transport systems can translate to genuine benefits.
In a recent report it released, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said
that despite the Philippines better-than-expected economic growth, the Philippines
risks losing to P6 billion a day by 2030 because of worsening traffic jams. The JICA
said that the costs of traffic will continue to rise if adequate solutions to ease
congestion are not immediately implemented.
In 2013, the same agency said that traffic problems cost the Philippines P2.4 billion
every day in 2012.
The JICA has already presented a proposal to the Benigno Aquino government on
how to improve the countrys transportation system. The proposal is packaged as a
dream plan and outlines short-term and long-term developments. If and when
implemented, it will cost the government around P2.3 trillion.
Many studies have been written on the economic costs of congested traffic, and
they usually consider such factors such as cost of traffic value of time lost due to

delay, fuel prices, vehicle operating costs, effects on health, and greenhouse gas
emissions.
The following are the busiest roads in Metro Manila mainly comprised of highways
and streets forming its circumferential and radial road network:
1) C-3 (Araneta Avenue, Gil Puyat Avenue, Ayala Avenue)
2) C-4 (EDSA, Samson Road, Letre)
3) C-5 (C.P. Garcia, E. Rodriguez, Katipunan)
4) R-1 (Roxas Boulevard, Bonifacio Drive)
5) R-2 (Taft Avenue)
6) R-7 (Espaa Avenue, Quezon Avenue)
7) R-5 (Legarda Street, Ramon Magsaysay, Shaw
Boulevard, Pasig Boulevard)
8) R-6 (Aurora Boulevard, Marcos Highway)
9) Gil Puyat Avenue
10) Ortigas Avenue
11) R-7 (Espana Boulevard, Quezon Avenue,
Commonwealth Avenue)
12) R-9 (Rizal Avenue, McArthur Highway).
In a report posted on Rappler written by Katerina Francisco, professor in the
University of the Philippines (UP) Jose Regin Regidor was quoted as saying that the
wasted productivity hours because of traffic is equal to a monetary value that could
be used for other things, such as earning extra income or spending more time with
the family.
JICAs P2.3-trillion infrastructure road map to decongest Metro Manila involves the
establishment of new infrastructure and improving traffic management. New roads
and expressways will be built, and this is intended to improve accessibility to rail
systems, traffic enforcement and education. The public transport system will also be
improved, and in the process, the country will be able to cut its traffic losses and
even generate revenues.
The JICA reckons that the Philippines can save as much as P1.2 trillion in 2030. This
is equivalent to P1.9 billion a day, or P570 billion a year from time cost savings and

P2.1 billion a day or P630 billion annually from vehicle operating cost savings. The
government can also generate up to P119 billion a year in toll and fare revenue.
Commuters, on the other hand, will be able to save at least P18 daily and cut their
travel time by 49 minutes per trip.
The demand for mass transit in the Philippines is seen to increase by 2030 to 7.4
million passengers a day by 2030. There is no arguing that there is a need for
reliable mass transport services that can adequately serve all these passengers.
Based on surveys, public transport accounts for 69% of the total number of trips
taken in Metro Manila every day. Currently, buses and jeepneys are the main modes
of public transportation, accounting for 71% of trips.
In its proposed roadmap for 2030, the Japanese agency stressed the need for an
integrated urban mass-transit network, with an efficient railway system making up a
large part of the public transport mix.
JICA said railways should ideally take up a 41% share of the overall transport
system, with jeeps and buses at 33% and cars at 26%.
The Problem of Road Congestion
Congestion is a real social problem that needs to be resolved because of its serious
effects. In a nutshell, it isolates people from their various activities such as
business, recreation, and family time.
Generally, congestion results in a less productive work force. Except when they
commit the dangerous and potentially fatal mistake of talking to someone on their
mobile phones, drivers are not very productive while commuting. In the Philippines
where majority of employee take public transport, people use the time theyre stuck
in traffic to call work, issue instructions or clarify issues, but on the whole, everyone
ends up tense, frustrated and already tired when they get to work.
Congestion also adds to the countrys air pollution. This is because congestion leads
to increased fuel consumption and automobile emissions as vehicles are forced to
operate less efficiently. More cars on the road also mean increased greenhouse gas
emissions, which in turn could lead to health costs. The JICA report said greenhouse
gas emissions are expected to increase to 5.72 million tons a year in 2030,
compared to 4.7 million tons a year in 2012.
Congestion caused by unexpected events can also lead to higher statistics of
vehicular accidents. When traffic incidents occur, congestion often appears in
places where motorists do not expect it. Rubbernecking and conflicts with
emergency vehicles also serve to exacerbate the problem.
In the meantime, construction and road work create unexpected changes in
highway alignment and other features. By reducing how long traffic incidents and

road work operations last, congestion can be reduced and reliability and commuter
safety can be improved. .
Traffic Jams and Effects on Work
According to a research titled Employer Views on Traffic Congestion (Policy Brief
115 of the Reason Foundation, February 2014), traffic congestion is a problem not
just for individual commuters but for businesses as well. While commuters are
greatly concerned over rush hour traffic, businesses are also concerned with the offpeak hour (non-rush hour) delivery of goods. It was pointed out in the research that
because businesses are concerned with congestion during both time periods, their
views on traffic congestion differ from those of commuters. Solving rush hour and
off-peak congestion is also more challenging than merely solving rush hour
congestion.
The study stated that congestion affects employers in several ways. Primarily, it
affects impacts corporate activities such as shipping/receiving, logistics and
distribution, client meetings and other business activities. It also limits worker
availability and productivity by affecting employees commutes. In the Philippines,
the effects of congestion on workers and employees are a sore issue. Congestion
leads to workers arriving late; commuting hassles for workers, frustration/stress,
long work commutes, long travel time, and loss of personal time.
In the Philippines, street, traffic or system problems are major issues. These include
construction activities, accidents/incidents, inconvenient roads for customers and
other causes of traffic such as safety issues, poor road design, traffic signals, and
delays on specific roads.
In the case of Flat Planet, most of its employees live outside of Ayala, Makati where
the companys headquarters are located. Many live in the South and North of
Makati, and commute daily to get to work. They have to contend with various
ongoing road projects, the massive volume of private cars and public utility vehicles
that occupy the main roads that lead to Ayala.
To avoid getting trapped in the morning rush, Flat Planet employees leave their
homes at least two hours before they shift begins. Without traffic, the commute
should take only an hour or an hour and a half give or take. Of course, some
employees still arrive late, but only for five to 10 minutes and seldom more.
Flat Planet takes a very serious stand against tardiness, as lateness is considered
unprofessional. It has a biometric finger scanner and all staff are required to scan in
and out at the start and end of each day. At the end of each month, those who had
many late days are notified via email.
Measures to Ease Traffic Congestion

According to Gilbert Felongco in an article posted on Gulf News, congestion appears

to be worsening in the Philippines as wealthier Filipinos buy more vehicles and enjoy
their improved spending power.
Arsenio Balisacan, Director General of the National Economic Development
Authority, said that the Philippines loses P2.4 billion (Dh204 million) per day in
potential income as a result of traffic congestion problems and lost productivity.
Also, for a minute, suppose that 30,000 vehicles pass through each of main roads
every day and each vehicle is able to save one liter of fuel per day due to
congestion reduction. If fuel is priced an average of P45 /L, then this is easily
equivalent to savings of 1,425,000 P per day per road. For 12 roads and assuming
to include only travel on weekdays, the total savings per year can be computed as
P4.212 billion.
In response to constantly mounting criticism, however, the Philippine government
said that relief is underway. It said that the main focus of efforts is to ease traffic
flow in EDSA, Metro Manilas main thoroughfare. There is also a campaign to remove
unregistered buses from city roads, and to move the terminals of provincial buses
away from EDSA. The government plans to build the north and south terminal so
that buses plying provincial routes do not have to take the EDSA route.
Based on reports, Metro Manilas last major road rehabilitation program was
implemented some 20 years ago. Various peripheral improvements in the
metropolis have been implemented since then, but population growth and the
commercial and economic development have also ensured that more business
establishments use EDSA than ever before.
Compounding the road situation in Metro Manila the poor drainage system.
Whenever the rains come, commuters are often trapped for long hours in traffic.
Spokespersons from the Department of Public Works and Highways said that it was
doing flood mitigation plans for Metro Manila. The government targets to pave all
national roads by 2015-2016.
While total reduction of congestion is next to impossible in the Philippines,
consistent and serious efforts to improve transportation infrastructure for Metro
Manila including much delayed mass transport systems can translate to genuine
benefits. Such benefits include increased productivity and perhaps a healthier
metropolitan population who have to contend with less stress and air pollution.
The business community in the Philippines is all for investing on transportation
infrastructure to reduce congestion and lower costs associated with traffic jams.
Continued procrastination over road and other infrastructure projects that should
have been implemented long before will only leader to higher productivity losses.

http://www.flatplanet.com.au/hard-heads-the-bpo-business-case/229-trafficproblems-in-the-philippines-and-proposed-solutions-