The underlying issues that cause traffic are still not being addressed.
The reconstruction of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) and the more restrictive number coding along this major thoroughfare starting next month have confirmed everybody’s fears—Metro Manila traffic will get worse before it gets better.
EDSA’s overhaul will take at least 18 months to complete. Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon has conceded the extensive overhaul will significantly worsen traffic on Metro Manila’s main artery during the construction period.
The rehabilitation of EDSA and other major streets is long overdue. The uneven road conditions have posed severe hazards to motorists and commuters.The overhaul, according to the official government line, seeks to address persistent issues and enhance the commuting experience for millions of Filipinos. “Right now, driving on EDSA can be uncomfortable—your vehicle shakes so much it’s hard to even send a text.
It’s time to rehabilitate EDSA once and for all,” says Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manny Bonoan. EDSA’s overhaul will shortly limit the number of vehicles plying the road. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is implementing a 24-hour odd-even number-coding scheme along EDSA beginning June 16.
Vehicles with plate numbers ending in odd digits (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) will be barred from using EDSA on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.Those with plate numbers ending in even digits (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) will be restricted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The revised coding scheme and EDSA’s overhaul are sure to aggravate Metro Manila’s notorious traffic gridlock.
But will EDSA’s reconstruction job provide the real answer to Metro Manila’s traffic nightmare? The EDSA rebuild is just a superficial solution to traffic congestion.
The underlying issues that cause traffic are still not being addressed.
As I have written several times in this column, a growing population, the lack of mass transportation system and wide roads, and the continuous migration of workers from the provinces to Metro Manila have created the perfect storm that is causing traffic mayhem in the whole of the capital region. Urban decongestion provides the real solution to traffic gridlock.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is aware of the fundamental problems that cause the logjams in the capital region and has thought of the pragmatic solution to the traffic gridlock. He has pursued in the past the development of nearby provinces and cities to decongest Metro Manila. He obviously referred to the migration of future or current economic activities to areas outside of the urban capital as a way to declog Metro Manila.
New and expanded roads and railway networks will ease traffic in the metropolis, but they can only provide quick fix remedies to the urban snarl. Developing and improving mobility in Metro Manila’s nearby provinces such as Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna and Cavite, says Mr. Marcos, are among the priorities that will address the traffic problems. He has ordered concerned agencies to provide a comprehensive and holistic approach to fix the country’s worsening traffic system.
That directive was months ago, But building a satellite city just outside Metro Manila or less than 100 kilometers from the metropolis makes better sense as President Marcos suggested. The only way to improve the traffic situation and the quality of life in the capital region is through decongestion.
New satelliete cities, hopefully, will rectify the past mistakes of city planning. They will generate new jobs and can reverse the migration of workers to Metro Manila. By decongesting Metro Manila, the capital region can plan and respond better to the demand for infrastructure and social services of a growing population.
The cost of poorly planned urbanization, according to the United Nations, can be seen in some of the huge slums, tangled traffic, greenhouse gas emissions and sprawling suburbs across the globe. Development inequality and the levels of urban energy consumption and pollution, says the UN, are some of the challenges.Cities occupy just 3 percent of the Earth’s land, but account for 60 percent to 80 percent of energy consumption and 75 percent of carbon emissions.
“Many cities are also more vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters due to their high concentration of people and location so building urban resilience is crucial to avoid human, social and economic losses,” adds the UN. Decongestion will correct the inequities of past urban developments and avoid the traffic jams that typically characterize megalopolises like Metro Manila.
