Christmas gridlock

It is that time of year again when the Christmas parties are endless, and everyone is in a rush. Christmas traffic starts in the morning and lasts until nearly midnight; the "Carmageddon" worsens each year. Everywhere, you see motorcycles delivering Christmas giveaways and packages, and in almost every open space, a group of people would be practicing a dance for a Christmas party.

Indeed, it is a joyous and hopeful season, but in terms of traffic, it can be a sign of hopelessness for our gridlocked urban city.

What can be the solution to this perennial problem? In my mind, it must be increased government investments in a highly efficient mass public transportation system.

This was the vision for the MRT-3 plying EDSA, but more routes should have been built swiftly. Alas, we see long lines at the entrances to MRT-3 stations, a sign of high demand but low efficiency. The government started the EDSA bus carousel, taking an extra lane from the entire stretch of EDSA. It is a great idea but poorly implemented, as getting to a bus carousel station is tiresome, and may not be friendly to PWDs and the elderly.

The government made the right decision in starting several subway projects. For a while, we had two ongoing — the DoTr subway from Valenzuela to Taguig and Pasay, and the Makati subway, which has unfortunately hit a snag with Chinese investors backing out and the major stations being "relocated" to Taguig City. DoTr's subway has high potential, and construction is underway in the northern portions, particularly in Valenzuela and Quezon City, and the Pasig station beside Capitol Commons has been cleared and blocked off.

One suggestion is for the government to explore the idea of building subway stations in the major malls around Metro Manila, mainly because this would bring convenience to the commuters. The mall owners, whether SM, Ayala, Megaworld, or Robinsons, may be enticed to partly fund these subway stations since these would bring foot traffic to their establishments.

Imagine having the major malls connected via subway, similar to how it is done in Hong Kong, Japan, and other developed countries. One can take a subway at the SM Mall of Asia, get off at Ayala Center Makati, and then at Robinsons Galleria, Eastwood, Trinoma, or SM North EDSA. I'm sure the conglomerates would entertain this proposal.

Commuter railways may also be built below ground, like in major US cities like New York and Boston, where commuter rails run under their major sports stadiums, such as Madison Square Garden and the TD Garden, where NBA games are played.

These railways may be under a mixed-use development complex or townships near open spaces. One location for this is Tutuban in Manila, where the North-South Commuter railway will pass through. Perhaps we can build similar stations in the eastern portion of Metro Manila, granting alternatives to residents living in Rizal. Other stations may be built on the outskirts of Valenzuela for Bulacan, Tarlac, and Pampanga, or in Muntinlupa for Cavite and Laguna residents.

We hope our President will make this a priority since I am sure he knows the benefits of subways and railways, having lived in London where riding the subway is a way of life. Creativity must drive the infrastructure age. New roads and bridges will not ease the traffic — these would, in time, worsen them.

Investments must be made in infrastructure to move people, not vehicles, and the direction is downward or underground.

For comments, email him at darren.dejesus@gmail.com