The EDSA Busway is in the news again. Shocking! This time, it was a policeman driving. Libreng Sakay. Official PNP bus. Public service, good intentions — the kind that cuts across lanes, slips into the busway, hits a public bus, and still thinks he’s right.

He had a reason. He was driving a bus. He was picking up passengers. Of course. In his mind? Absolutely correct. Nary a hint of doubt.

That’s the trick with the busway. Nobody enters thinking they’re wrong. The insult — not that the lane is forbidden.The insult is that it looks like common sense: it’s open, relaxed, moisturized. You’re driving nicely, very smoothly, maybe the best driving of your life.

You look around: wow, these people are not smart. You feel like you’re winning. For three seconds. Suddenly, you get nervous. You think, wait, why am I the only genius here? Then boom! “Ser, violation.” For what? Succeeding too much?

Maybe the signs only show up for buses. You used to think the problem with the busway was that you couldn’t use it. Get on EDSA the first time, you realize you cannot see it.

You only get a clear view when you’ve committed. The enforcer points at it, “Ser.” Bus only. Except it says it like it’s shy. Mega small. Like it doesn’t want to bother you. The sign is not doing the job. The fine is.

That’s a great combo if your goal is surprise. You’re watching three mirrors, 10 motorcycles, and they expect you to calmly locate and interpret a sign that doesn’t particularly want to be seen?

Don’t guide drivers. Ambush them. It’s like the enforcers of the solid lines, the wrong right turns, prime real estate, these guys. Spidey Boys. Chilling in the dark. Camouflage. Very patient. And the moment you drift in, they drop from the ceiling that isn’t there.

Often the lanes are more persuasive than the warnings; the roads are arguing with the sign and the roads win. On the busway, if the sign worked, nobody would enter. But everybody enters. What does that tell you?

Nobody’s against progress. If buses move more people, faster, cheaper — fantastic! Love it. Big heart. I say let’s have more signs. I want so much of it you can’t miss it, you can’t mistake it, you can’t accidentally violate it.

Right now, the message is confusing: “This is progress but please stay in the problem.”

You’re shocked that something in this city still works. Everyone else can see it working. From the outside. You are delayed, and made to witness your delay. The real violation is misreading your distance from dignity. It’s like putting a glass of water in a desert and arresting anyone who drinks it.

“But you have more lanes.” Right. More lanes to sit in. More lanes to figure out the terrible thing the busway can do to you: introduce hope into a system that was previously just inconvenience.

Now you can get in trouble because you believed in something better. You’re punished for being hopeful; you see something smooth, efficient, a relief, your instinct: “Is this allowed? Maybe this is for me.” That’s the mistake.