The Management Association of the Philippines is urging the Marcos Jr. administration to declare a traffic crisis that needs the appointment of a new traffic management team to be headed by a traffic czar vested with full powers and authority to mobilize, direct, and deploy existing relevant resources of the government, both national and local, during the exigency of this crisis.
In a statement signed by MAP president Rene Almendras, it said that the group believes that a traffic crisis exists in Metro Manila.
The title of having the worst traffic in the world is an affirmation of a known fact that has greatly cost the economy and damaged the welfare of the people.
“The MAP, being the proponent of the Busway solution to the severe public bus transportation problem in EDSA, believes that the traffic crisis is not insurmountable. But there is no single silver bullet to slay this traffic monster, rather a holistic approach to this crisis is essential,” Almendras said.
He said there must be a recognition that this traffic crisis is the result of a failure in traffic management, and a paradigm shift in road and traffic management policies and practices is essential.
“Policy must reflect the reality that road space is a finite public resource that must be judiciously and efficiently used to move people, instead of private vehicles. There must be a realization that high occupancy in conveyances and uninterrupted vehicle flow are the keys to higher commuter throughput,” he added.
With this, the MAP recommends a holistic plan, namely, organization and administration, organizing Metro Manila into four Traffic Management Zones to be headed by a qualified Zone Traffic Manager who shall be responsible for traffic management in their respective zone, and report and be accountable to the traffic czar.
Also, the MAP president suggests reviving the Mabuhay Lanes and optimizing their use as alternate routes to relieve traffic congestion along major routes, such as EDSA, C4, C5 and radial roads and creating new ones where none exists; clear the Lanes by disallowing parking during designated peak traffic hours in the morning and evening, subject to towing and impounding of violating vehicles; revise the direction of traffic flows along Metro Manila streets to minimize traffic conflicts at intersections by limiting left turns and crossings.
Further, the MAP wanted to disallow U-turns, except only in suitable locations; create quick reaction force to clear choke points; require high-passenger occupancy vehicle practices in high-density zones, such as schools and large event venues; require off-street drop-off and boarding lanes; and strictly enforce no parking, no loading and unloading rules along major routes where schools are located.
Moreover, Almendras said in terms of mass public transport, vehicle owners must comply with the National Economic and Development Authority-formulated National Transport Plan that has been extant since 2017, particularly to prioritize mass public transport over private vehicles.
“And for this purpose, prioritize allocation of road space for busways; enhance non-motorized mobility with the creation and expansion of sidewalks and cycling network; institute travel demand management through peak-hour travel pricing of public transport, such that non-peak hours shall have lower charges; implement road congestion charges on private vehicles in high-volume traffic routes during peak travel hours; rationalize the jeepney and bus franchising system to institute a one-route, one-franchise system to optimize the efficiency and utilization of vital commuter corridors,” the MAP president said.
Meanwhile, the MAP also stressed the need for a busway system, which the three years of pilot testing have proven the EDSA Busway to be the most cost-effective urban mass transit system.
“But this EDSA Busway remains uncompleted and must urgently and expeditiously be privatized through the Public-Private Partnership model and brought to world-class standards. The unsolicited proposal on hand should be processed soonest so that the next step, Swiss challenge selection, can proceed soonest. The Busway System must be expanded and replicated to cover other major thoroughfares, such as Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Sucat Avenue, Alabang-Zapote Road and others,” the MAP said.
Aside from this, the MAP official is pushing for the completion of MRT 3 and LRT2 systems; urban dispersal to decongest Metro Manila; and the expansion of a nautical highway.
“This traffic crisis is highly detrimental to the people and the economy. No effort must be spared to expeditiously provide relief to our people and economy. The crisis can be mitigated with strong political will, and competent management with resolute short, medium, and long-term measures,” Almendras stated.