Briones, John Mathew A.

Score:
______

15-53481, Group 6
February 6,2019

Technical Report 1

Title: Urban Transportation Problems

Outline:

I. Urban Transportation Systems

II. Urban Transportation Problems
a. Traffic Congestion
b. Longer Commutes
III. 10 Alarming Facts about Traffic in Metro Manila

Context:

I. Urban Transportation System

Urbanization has been one of the dominant contemporary
processes as a growing share of the global population lives in
cities. Considering this trend, urban transportation issues are
of foremost importance to support the passengers and freight
mobility requirements of large urban agglomerations.
Transportation in urban areas is highly complex because of
the modes involved, the multitude of origins and destinations,
and the amount and variety of traffic. Traditionally, the focus
of urban transportation has been on passengers as cities were
viewed as locations of outmost human interactions with
intricate traffic patterns linked to commuting, commercial
transactions and leisure/cultural activities. However, cities are
also locations of production, consumption and distribution,
activities linked to movements of freight. Conceptually, the
urban transport system is intricately linked with urban form
and spatial structure. Urban transit is an important dimension
of mobility, notably in high density areas.

II. Urban Transportation Problems

a. Traffic Congestion
Traffic congestion is when vehicles travel slower
because there is too much traffic on roads. This makes trip
times longer, and increases queueing. This is also known
as a traffic jam. Congestion may result from a decrease in
capacity, for example accidents on the road or roads being
closed. Bad road layouts can also restrict capacity.
Increased traffic, for example by many cars leaving a
sports stadium at the same time, can also cause
congestion.
 Where congestion is common, for example because
of commuting in big cities, several methods are used to
relieve it. Cars may be banned in certain districts or certain
times, or made to carry passengers or pay a fee, or people
may use public transport, such as rapid transit, which
travel independently of car traffic and are not affected by
traffic jams.

b. Longer Commutes
Increased traffic, road construction, and a population
that increasingly lives in one part of the city and works in
another all contribute to longer commute times.

III. 10 Alarming Facts about Traffic in Metro Manila

1. In 2013, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) listed a total of

2,101,148 motor vehicles registered in NCR or 27% of the country’s
7,690,038 total registered motor vehicles. In 2015, the total motor
vehicles in Metro Manila has already peaked at 2.5 million. Source: The

Standard

2. Metro Manila has only 1,032 kilometers of roads or 3.5% of the

total 39,370 kilometers of roads nationwide. The National Capital
Region has only one kilometer of road per 424 vehicles. Source: The
Standard

3. The traffic demand in Metro Manila is at 12.8 million trips. 69%

of Heavy
thesetraffic
totalattrips
EDSA in Makati
are City. Photo
done using by Scandi
public via Wikimedia
transport yet onlyCommons.
22% of the
road space is occupied by public vehicles. The other 78% of road space
is taken by private vehicles. Source: National Economic and
Development Authority
 4. A study by the National Center for Transportation Studies says
that the heavy traffic in Metro Manila cost the country 137.5 billion
pesos in 2011. Source: Rappler

5. The total population of Metro Manila as of 2010 is already at

11,855,975 which is almost 12% of the total population of the
Philippines. The total land area of Metro Manila (638 square kilometers)
is only 0.21% of the total land area of the Philippines (300,000 square
kilometers). Source: Philippine Census

6. Manila, Pateros and Caloocan are the top 3 most densely

populated cities in the world. Manila has a population density of 42,857
Stuck
people living in asquare
per heavy traffic in Metro
kilometer. Manila. Photo
Source: by FAQ.ph
Wikipedia

7. As of 2010, the number of informal settler families in Metro

Manila is already more than half a million. This number is already 20%
of the total number of household in Metro Manila. 41% of these
informal settlers are located in government owned lands while 34% are
in privately owned lands. Source:National Economic and Development
Authority

Crowd in Manila. Photo by Patrickroque01 via Wikimedia Commons

Squatters area in Manila. Photo by Bindue via Pixabay

 8. 20% of the total income of the poor in Metro Manila is spent on
transportation. This percentage is more than what they spend for rice
(15% ), utilities (6.97% ), health (2.99% ), clothing (2.96% ) and
education (3.37% ). Source: The Standard

9. 85% of air pollution in Metro Manila comes from vehicles.

Source: GMA Network

10. According to a COA report, a P1.314-billion allocation from

the Disbursement Acceleration Program for the rehabilitation of Light
Rail Transit 1 and 2 was released in full by the Aquino’s administration
in January 2014. However, the rehabilitation projects have not yet been
implemented due to several project revisions. In the same month, the
MMDA has launched a new traffic signalling system worth P290 million.
Source: The Standard, Manila Times

Conclusion:

Urban transportation in every city demands a great deal of land

area, available routes, traffic control and other important aspects to
avoid the different urban transportation problems like traffic
congestion and long commute hours. The government should strictly
implement the laws and provision in traffic regulations and the
different do’s and don’ts. The public should also comply with the law
and should avoid these things like informal settling, sidewalk vending
and if possible use public transits like busses and trains when traveling
alone within the urban premises.

References:

Public Transport - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport

Paratransit - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratransit

Urban Transportation- https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/UrbanTransportation.html

https://www.slideshare.net/paojean2000/urban-transport-problems

https://www.nationalexpresstransit.com/blog/5-transportation-challenges-in-urban-areas/

http://faq.ph/facts-about-traffic-in-metro-manila-that-you-should-know/