In the absence of the needed infrastructure and efficient public transportation system such as elevated highways and subways, an administration lawmaker on Friday proposed that traffic managers should now consider adopting the “one-way-all-the-way” scheme similar to what is being used in New York City.
Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento said that the roads in Metro Manila are being used beyond capacity. And with the different construction activities lined up for President Duterte’s Build, Build, Build Program, Metro Manila traffic will not only worsen but might become truly standstill.
Sarmiento, member of the House of Representatives’ committee on transportation, said government traffic managers such as the Metro Manila Development Authority, the Department of Transportation and the PNP-Highway Patrol Group could ease Metro Manila’s traffic woes by turning its three major road arteries into full one-way highways.
“Our traffic situation is a multi-dimensional problem that has evolved and accrued through the years. While other countries in the region opted for tenement buildings and railway systems, we followed the American model of bungalows and highways. So we cannot just blame one cause alone, like lack of discipline among drivers or the presence of colorum PUVs plying our roads,” Sarmiento, an engineer, said.
“Edsa was built in the 1940s when the population in Metro Manila was only 1.7 million. Seventy-seven years later, the most needed infrastructure to support a rapidly growing metropolis and population—now totaling around 13 million in the National Capital Region—were never proportionately built for one reason or another,” Sarmiento said.
Since Edsa can no longer be widened, Sarmiento said that it should be turned into a purely northbound superhighway from Caloocan to Pasay City with bi-directional service roads on its opposite sides that will be for the exclusive use of the Bus Rapid Transit System.
To accommodate northbound vehicles coming from Pasay City, Parañaque and Cavite, portions of Roxas Boulevard passing through C3 and C4 would also be turned into a one-way highway.
Vehicles coming from Muntinlupa and Laguna going northbound to Quezon City, Bulacan and Pampanga, on the other hand, can use the C-5 road, which will be also turned purely as a northbound expressway.
Sarmiento said his proposal might look too drastic but at the rate things are going, Metro Manila’s traffic problem could get really out of hand once the government starts constructing other big ticket projects in Metro Manila such as the proposed Metro subway system and the additional elevated train systems.
Sarmiento added it is better to consider drastic solutions than continue to lose P3 billion daily in economic productivity due to traffic congestion. Imposing a moratorium on the purchase of new cars or banning sales during weekdays is also counterproductive as this will limit economic activity.
“We would be doubling the road capacity of these major highways while allowing a smooth and uninterrupted flow of traffic which will make travel quicker and more convenient. Along this scheme is the full adoption of the BRTS to ferry commuters aside from the existing MRT3 and LRT systems” Sarmiento said.
To ensure that the BRTS would not favor certain bus companies, Sarmiento said that they should form a consortium and assign some of their buses in the system, which will be supervised by the owners and regulated by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Sarmiento added that for immediate implementation and to cut on cost and development of platforms and waiting sheds, the LRT and MRT terminals’ loading and unloading areas will also serve as the loading and unloading stops for these buses. This will augment the capacity of the Mass Railway Transit System, since passengers who will not be accommodated in the trains have the option to use the BRT system.
“The BRT buses will follow a unified bus dispatching system. This will eliminate the problem of undisciplined bus drivers because there will no longer be competition or overtaking, since the different bus companies are already assured profit,” Sarmiento said.
Sarmiento added that the BRTS must be simulated first by government planners and a test-run must be conducted during holidays when there are fewer cars on the road to avoid chaos.
Sarmiento said he will also propose that provincial buses should no longer be allowed to use EDSA and instead, terminals should be placed on its southern and northern edge to cater to provincial passengers. Bus companies that operate the BRTS will be asked to provide buses to carry passengers to and from the southern and northern provincial bus terminals.
Meanwhile, the Metro Manila Development Authority has extended for another three months the light truck ban policy along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and the entire stretch of Shaw Boulevard, which traverses the cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig.
The move came after members of the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the MMDA’s governing board and policy making body, came up with a resolution extending the traffic scheme from September 15 to December 15 this year.
Lawyer Crisanto Saruca Jr., of the MMDA traffic discipline office and head of the MMC secretariat, said the Council came up with the decision after observing that there was an improvement on the flow of traffic along EDSA due to the absence of about 3,000 vehicles, mostly delivery vans, following the implementation of the ban.
The ban is being enforced in the following areas:
– Southbound lane EDSA (from North Avenue in Quezon City to Magallanes in Makati City) and whole stretch of Shaw Boulevard (cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig) from 6 am – 10 am.
– Northbound lane of EDSA (from Magallanes to North Avenue) and whole stretch of Shaw Boulevard (Mandaluyong and Pasig) from 5 pm – 10 pm.
Under the policy, trucks which have a gross capacity weight of 4,500 kgs. and below will not be allowed to pass EDSA and Shaw Boulevard from 6 am to 10 am and from 5 pm to 10 pm. The uniform light trucks ban will be enforced from Monday to Saturday except Sundays and holidays.
It added that light trucks carrying perishable goods are exempted but they still need to apply for exemption. Also exempted from the light trucks ban are government and emergency vehicles such as firetrucks and ambulances.
Under the MMC resolution, violators will be slapped with a P2,000 fine.
MMDA general manager Thomas Orbos said there is a necessity to regulate the light trucks on the roads which have also contributed significantly to traffic congestion in the metropolis.
The MMDA, meanwhile, announced that more streets in the cities of Caloocan, Pasig and Quezon City will be subjected for road repairs this weekend.
This after the MMDA allowed the Department of Public Works and Highways – National Capital Region conduct road repairs in the metropolis beginning Friday (Sept. 29).
The DPWH-NCR will undertake concrete re-blocking and repair works from 11 pm (Friday) until October 2, at the following areas:
Southbound: along Bonifacio Avenue between Mauban St. to Del Monte, Quezon City (Outer lane); along Visayas Avenue infront of Bureau of Plant Industry (inner lane); along C-5 Road near Lanuza Avenue, Pasig City (2nd lane); along EDSA near corner Bansalangin fronting UniOil, Quezon City (2nd lane); along E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue after Greenmeadows Ave., Quezon City (3rd lane from center island); along E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue after Poseidon Road, Quezon City (truck lane), and along E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue corner Monte de Piedad going to Cubao, Quezon City (2nd lane from the sidewalk).
At the northbound area, the repairs will be done in the following: along Mindanao Avenue corner Tandang Sora Ave., Quezon City; along Bonifacio near Monumento Circle, Caloocan City; along C.P. Garcia Avenue from University Ave. to E. Jacinto St., Quezon City (3rd lane); along V. Luna Road from East Avenue to Kalayaan Ave., Quezon City; along Manila East Road infront of SM East Ortigas, Pasig City, and along Quirino Highway near corner La Mesa Dam Road, Quezon City (1st lane).
The MMDA public information office assured that all affected roads will be fully passable by 5 am on Monday.
“Motorists are advised to avoid the said areas and use alternate routes instead,” the MMDA-PIO said.
The MMDA earlier urged the DPWH to finish road repair projects in Metro Manila before the peak months when traffic is expected to be heavy.
The agency announced it will implement a moratorium on road repairs and diggings in the National Capital Region to provide relief to commuters and motorists during the Yuletide Season.
The moratorium will cover concrete re-blocking projects and even repairs being conducted by utility companies on power and water lines.
The MMDA expects a 20 percent increase in traffic volume this Christmas season because of the influx of people and vehicles from Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Central Luzon.
“We are working on solutions to lessen its impact on motorists,” said MMDA assistant general manager for planning Jose Arturo Garcia Jr.
In a related development, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Friday gave assurance of his full support for the construction of the Metro Rail Transit line 7 project.
He vowed to provide the proponents of the grand central or common station project all the support necessary to ensure the orderly construction of the project, which is expected to seamlessly and conveniently connect the Light Rail Transit line 1, MRT line 3, MRT line 7 and the recently-approved Metro Manila subway.
The city’s support will come by way of coordinating closely with project proponents in the area of traffic management and in providing security measures especially to the riding public, he said.
“With the project expected to serve nearly 500,000 rail passengers on a daily basis once completed, it is imperative that appropriate security measures shall be adopted by Quezon City to ensure the safety of the riding public,” he added.
As far as traffic management is concerned, Bautista said the city’s Department of Public Order and Safety will coordinate closely with project proponents to ensure the orderly movement of traffic during the construction period, which is also expected to provide a significant boost to the city’s economy, especially in the areas of trade and commerce.
“This will be very significant for us since this will be known as the Quezon City grand central station,” he said.
According to the Department of Transportation, the grand central or common station to be built between SM North Edsa and Trinoma is expected to serve approximately 478,000 rail passengers daily by 2020.
Apart from the grand central or common station, also underway is the construction of the MRT line 7 project with 11 of the railway project’s 14 stations to be built within the city.