AS the holiday traffic ensues, experts from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said imposing a vehicle ownership quota in congested Asian cities like Metro Manila could provide city dwellers some reprieve from their traffic woes.
In an Asian Development Blog, ADB Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department Senior Economist Yi Jiang said the use of coding schemes are no longer sufficient given the extent of congestion being experienced in cities.
“Governments should control the growth of car ownership through a quota system. Some people’s privilege to buy a car must be delayed,” Jiang said.
“To be fair, the existing owners should be charged an additional annual fee for owning a vehicle. Coding schemes that allow driving on four out of five weekdays per week seem inadequate,” he added.
These efforts must also be accompanied by “indispensable” measures, such as higher parking tariffs, gasoline taxes and congestion fees.
The government and private firms must also allow work from home arrangements and flexible work schedules.
Based on ADB’s estimates, cities like Metro Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Yangon City topped the list of the 25 congested cities in developing countries.
On average, the ratio of driving durations during rush hours to off-peak hours across 400 randomly selected routes range from 1.7 hours and 1.9 hours in these cities.
ADB said this means drivers need to spend almost 100 percent more time during peak hours in the most congested city, Metro Manila.
“Congestion is a textbook case of market failure due to externalities. It is imperative that governments play a pivotal role in fighting congestion. For many emerging cities, it is an uphill battle that demands resolution and capacity of the government,” Jiang said.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) earlier estimated that traffic in Metro Manila costs P2.4 billion per day in 2012; P3.5 billion in 2018; and P5.4 billion by 2035.
Last year, former Jica Chief Representative to the Philippines Susumu Ito said the “Build, Build, Build” program will reduce the costs to around P3 billion a day and with additional projects, P2.4 billion a day.