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WE
received lots of phone calls and e-mail in reaction to
those “pink fences” on Edsa, which we highlighted in our
column two Fridays ago.
Most of
them are from motorists who are simply disgusted with
the way those pink fences have been erected. And the
number-one reaction is that they (pink fences) really
create traffic congestion for several kilometers,
especially during rush hours.
“I don’t
know if it is plain stupidity on the part of our traffic
authorities. You don’t erect pink fences two lanes deep
in a four-lane highway just like what we have here on
Edsa. That is the easiest way to create traffic chaos,”
said one caller, who begged that his name be omitted.
Many
would surely agree that dedicating even one lane to
buses would surely create a bottleneck, since only three
of the four lanes would be available to other motorists.
Furthermore, instead of creating a smooth flow of
traffic, they create a clog that causes heavy traffic.
Remember
that buses stay inside those pink fences as long as they
want to. Not too long ago, there was a campaign wherein
buses were only given a few minutes to load and unload
their passengers under the supervision of Metropolitan
Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic personnel
who used long sticks to knock on the sides of the buses
to prod their drivers to move. The few weeks were
considered a success, but with the kind of bus drivers
we have, the campaign virtually died down. Some say that
it stopped eventually because the MMDA traffic personnel
were either bullied by bus drivers or threatened with
bodily harm by the bus operators.
Correct
me if I’m wrong, but a majority of those bus drivers
plying Edsa are showing “killer behavior” in their quest
to get more passengers and to get to their destinations
fast. Because of their lack of road courtesy and having
the mind-set of a bull because of their huge buses, many
of them have become dangerous on the streets.
Remember
those “yellow lanes” set up on Edsa wherein buses are
supposed to stay? Well, it is now common to see buses
wiggling in and out of them and even across the four
lanes of the highway. It’s like watching a car race on a
speedway. If those “yellow lanes” are being ignored
blatantly by those bus drivers, then you shouldn’t be
surprised to see them turn those “pink fences” into
their virtual parking areas.
*****
SOME of
those MMDA traffic personnel are getting to be
discourteous these days.
I was
watching the races with several off-track betting
station habitués one night when a friend got a frantic
call from his daughter. She was crying and still sobbing
when she told her dad that she was on her way home when
six MMDA traffic personnel stopped her for a traffic
violation near Edsa.
According to my friend, his daughter told him that she
received a big fright when those traffic enforcers
suddenly jumped on the hood of her car. In order to calm
down his frantic daughter, he told her to just give her
license to the traffic officers, if that is what they
want, but that she should also get their names.
“Is this
the way they treat lady drivers these days. My daughter
is not a road daredevil. If she committed a violation,
stopping her is just the right thing to do. But jumping
on the hood of the car is very uncivilized and uncalled
for,” the disgusted friend said.
We
haven’t seen this friend after that night but we will
try to get the whole story next time. Calling on the
MMDA, is this the way your “blue boys” are behaving
these days?
*****
AFTER
President Arroyo decided to create a “smuggling czar,”
we think it’s about time that she should also appoint a
“traffic czar.”
Traffic
in the metropolis is getting worse as the days go by.
School is still out but the traffic situation is already
unbearable during rush hours. This is because of the
various road constructions that are being done all
throughout the year.
For
instance, a newly cemented road that has just been
recently opened to traffic would be closed again a few
days later because of additional work, such as digging
to install or repair a water pipe or a beautification
project.
In this
country, some government agencies and officials consider
roads as the so-called duck that lays a golden egg. You
know what we mean. And the more often the roads are
fixed, the better it is for those agencies and
officials.
The
appointment of a traffic czar, who will be responsible
for the unclogging of our roads, is necessary now that
school is opening next month.
Yes, the
MMDA is already there but the said government agency
already has too many jobs to do such as cleaning up the
metropolis. Yes, we have the Traffic Management Group,
but its responsibilities are not reflective of how it
should work. Yes, every district in the metropolis has a
police traffic unit, but is it functioning fully well?
With the
creation of the traffic czar, all the traffic units of
the police in the metropolis should be placed under him
and he should be given the power to oversee all the
diggings and constructions on all roads under his
responsibility. |
