Acting chairman Thomas Orbos of the Metro Manila Development Authority is supporting the move to create a separate agency tasked to map out plans, control and manage traffic in the metropolis.
Orbos made the statement five days after members of the House Committee on Transportation approved House Bill No. 4334 or the Traffic Crisis Act of 2016, a measure giving emergency powers President Rodrigo Duterte to remedy the worsening traffic problem and prevent billions in economic losses.
Under House Bill 4334, the President with the agreement of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee, may create a separate Department of Urban Traffic Management under the Office of the President within the last 12 months immediately preceding the lapse of the Act.
The said agency shall be tasked with the control, planning and management of land-based traffic in the metropolitan areas. It will also take over and continue to exercise all the powers and authority granted on the Traffic Chief under the Act.
“I fully agree if there is a need to have a separate agency. Urban planning, which is a long-term solution where we put the roads, proper land use, that’s what we need. I fully agree on that if that is the direction of the Senate and the House,” said Orbos.
“Based on experience, each agency that is now in I-ACT [Interagency Council on Traffic] lack the authority. Therefore one agency will have all the powers needed to solve and prevent this kind of crisis we have right now,” he added.
House Bill 4334 also gives exclusive power to the Department of Transportation to control, manage and regulate land-based traffic and structures in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.
Under the proposed bill, the secretary of DOTr as the designated traffic chief, will have supervision and control over MMDA, Cebu Coordinating Council, Philippine National Police-Traffic Management Group, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Road Board, all other executive agencies, bureaus and offices with roles pertaining to land transportation regulation and the Metropolitan Davao Traffic Administrator.
Additionally, the traffic chief, as the alter ego of the President, shall have supervision over all local government units within the covered Metropolitan areas. The Traffic Chief will also implement a unified traffic system throughout each metropolitan areas and carry out priority projects and programs approved in accordance with the Act.
Last year, the MMDA identified areas in the National Capital Region where commuters and motorists are experiencing monstrous traffic that need the emergency powers of President Rodrigo Duterte to resolve.
Among these areas are the seven choke points along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue—Balintawak Market Road, Aurora Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe, Ayala Avenue and Taft Avenue.
Also included in the list are those leading to and from Manila North Harbor Area, especially the Circumferential Road-3 (C-3 Road), A. Mabini Street, Dagat-Dagatan Avenue, North Bay Boulevard and Radial Road 10 (R-10).
Also in the list are Southern Metro Manila major roads leading to Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals, particularly Airport Road, Domestic Road, Andrews Avenue, Tramo Avenue, Sucat Avenue and Sales Road and the Alabang-Zapote Road and Circulo del Mundo Avenue, the Northern part will include Rizal Avenue, Samson Road, Gen. Malvar Street, McArthur Highway, Karuhatan Road, Gen. De Leon, Pio Valenzuela and Gen. De Jesus, the Eastern part will include Santolan, Gil Fernando Bridge, Marcos Highway, San Juan Intersection, Pasig Intersection and Meralco Avenue, while in Quezon City, the affected roads include Boni Serrano Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Timog Avenue, E. Rodriguez Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, C.P. Garcia Avenue, Magsaysay Avenue, Capitol Intersection, Luzon flyover, J.P. Rizal, Ayala Heights Rotunda, Mirriam Gate and Ateneo Gate.
In Manila, also in the list are Bonifacio Drive, Roxas Boulevard, España Boulevard, Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, Claro M. Recto Avenue, Sen. Osmena Highway and Rizal Avenue (Carriedo).
Study showed that Metro Manila is still in need of inter-city expressway of 426 kilometers until 2030.
It also stated the metropolis needs urban and suburban railways of six main lines with 246 kilometers and five secondary lines with 72 kilometers, respectively, to improve traffic in the Philippines, especially in the NCR.