It is good to see that the administration is discussing multiple options to solve the debilitating traffic problem. While the government is doing what it can to fast-track these projects, it will take several years before these projects are completed.
In the meantime, people will have to go through the daily grind and be stuck in traffic, more so when these projects commence construction. This means more lost productivity, more hours spent in traffic and more missed economic opportunities.
Unfortunately, even with emergency powers, there are no quick fixes to the traffic problem. However, certain things can be done in the meantime to mitigate traffic, and these can be implemented for the long term.
Everyone knows that traffic congestion is caused by too many vehicles occupying the same stretches of roads, leading to saturation and slow movement. The increase in traffic has always coincided with the rapid growth of car sales. In 2015 alone, car dealers reported sales of 300,000 units. That’s 300,000 additional units occupying the same amount of roads on a daily basis.
However, increased car sales did not necessarily mean more new car owners. Seventy percent of Filipinos living in Metro Manila still use public transportation as their primary means of reaching their destination. Yet, in contrast to private car owners, the 70 percent of public transportation users only occupy 30 percent of the total road space. Since the problem lies with the increasing number of private vehicles on roads, the only sensible thing to do is to limit, if not curtail, the use of private vehicles.
One such way of doing so is the implementation of road-congestion pricing. Also known in other countries as electronic road pricing (ERP), this is a scheme where private vehicles using heavily congested roads, especially during peak hours, are charged for their use. Used mainly for roads that enter a city’s central business district and downtown areas, the scheme regulates road use, which, then, reduces congestion. A combination of cameras, sensors and electronic devices installed inside private vehicles monitor and charge for the usage of private vehicles when they enter these roads.
First proposed in Hong Kong in 1983, it was later implemented in Singapore in 1998 and in London in 2003, both with positive results. After its implementation, the Singaporean Land Transport Authority reported a drop of 25,000 vehicles during peak hours, while London reported a drop of 60,000 vehicles the year following implementation. Following such successes, other cities have been following suit in its implementation, despite public protests.
Implementing such a system for Metro Manila has been proposed for some time. Critics, however, argue that implementing such a system without a viable alternative can cause more harm than good. The only alternative would be taking city buses or shuttles, both of which offer comparably uncomfortable rides.
A holistic implementation of ERP, which includes park-and-ride schemes and more premium point-to-point bus services, in the meantime, would make traffic work better in Metro Manila.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano