There is a new terror on our city streets. But this a welcome kind of terror. These are the vehicle- towing trucks of the Manila Metropolitan Development Authority. Going around main roads and side streets of the metropolis, the MMDA clearing operations haul an average of 100 vehicles five days a week. The vehicle towers may be the bane of car owners who use the streets for parking but it’s a welcome move for the ordinary commuters.
If there is a slight easing of traffic in Metro Manila, this can be attributed to the MMDA’s “park illegally, get no mercy” policy since MMDA chairman Danilo Lim, a former army general, took over the government agency. We said “slight” because road works being done by the Department of Public Works and Highways under its “Build, Build, Build” program have added to the misery of motorists. These projects include road widening and the construction of several elevated highways. In the long term, they should bring relief to motorists and commuters if and when completed. Well, as they say “no pain, no gain.”
The impounding lot for towed vehicles in Marikina looks like a big parking area. To retrieve illegally parked vehicles, owners have to pay from P1,500 to P8,700 depending on the size of the vehicle.
Looking at the big picture, Metro Manila’s monster traffic can be attributed to several factors. Foremost is the lack of an efficient public railway system. The Metro Rail Transit and the Light Rail Transit suffer daily breakdowns because of mismanagement and corruption. To get to work and bring their children to school, Filipinos are buying cars even without a garage to keep them. Alternate and side streets are being used by vehicle owners as parking spaces. The rich and even some middle class Filipinos buy at least two cars to get around the number coding scheme to ease traffic. Instead, this has only added to the volume of vehicles on the road.
Then there is the lack of urban planning in Metro Manila and the non-enforcement of rules. Note how crowd-drawing malls—SM, Robinsons, etc—are located right along main streets with bus and jeepney stops right in front of these business establishments. Every time these public utility vehicles stop in front of the mall, traffic comes to a standstill. This is particularly true on Sta. Mesa, now named Ramon Magsaysay boulevard, and the shopping malls on Edsa near the SSS and Manuel Morato street.
Why these shopping malls are granted building permits along major thoroughfares is the subject of speculation that bribes have been paid to certain city government officials. In the United States and Europe, shopping malls where Macy’s department stores, Ikea furniture, etc. are located in areas accessible to but far from the main road. Underground and outdoor parking for customers is always a component of any shopping complex.
In London, cars are only allowed to enter the central business district if the motorists pay a certain amount. Parking near or in the vicinity of the shopping areas is a no-no. Although taxis and those ubiquitous red double-decker buses are allowed to ply CBD areas, London’s famous underground trains called The Tube also make stops at strategic commuter stations. As someone who had lived in London and worked in the Philippine Embassy there for four years, I got to know all the stops and trains to take to travel around. There were times I would even give directions to the natives, Brits who live outside the capital.
There is the Piccadilly stop for the cluster of West End theaters. For shopping, one has to take either the double decker bus or underground train for Oxford Circus. There is a train and bus for the business and banking district near the Tower of London.
In Japan and Europe, trains, buses and trams are always on schedule you can set your watches by their arrival and departure.
Here, our two public rail transport systems suffer daily breakdowns. Commuters have to give themselves a two-hour lead time get to their place of work.
Resilient Filipinos grumble but manage to cope with the most abysmal of living conditions created by incompetent country managers.