Why is it that the Metro Manila Development Authority and the Local Government Units do not seem to agree on the issues of jurisdiction on road management but they can easily act in unison when it comes to traffic enforcement related to the no-contact apprehension policy?
A Manila solon called for the abolition of MMDA because of an incident when MMDA operated in the City of Manila that caused confusion among car owners. The solon said MMDA encroached into the LGUs’ jurisdiction and power.
The MMDA answered the agency is also given authority to implement road and traffic management both on major thoroughfares and interior roads. If that’s the case, MMDA could be biting off more than it can chew.
It should first go back to basic which is clearing and easing traffic in major thoroughfares.
One basic traffic system the MMDA has not done, after so many years of presence as a government agency, is putting up designated loading and unloading stations on major roads.
Shaw boulevard, Magsaysay boulevard, Rizal Avenue, Taft Avenue, E. Rodriguez, and MacArthur Road in Valenzuela. Has anyone seen loading and unloading stations for Public Utility Vehicles on these roads?
Traffic buildup here is caused by jeepneys – both the old and the modern ones – and buses, fetching passengers and unloading them wherever and whenever.
Ayala and BGC are the best examples of how to put together designated stops and disciplined drivers and passengers.
As for the aforementioned roads supposed to be under MMDA management, chaos prevails daily especially during rush hours because PUVs can just stop in every stretch or corner, and take passengers.
Sometimes, they even stop in the middle of the road to unload.
Even on Roxas Blvd. where there should not be any stopping except in cases of emergency, PUVs congest the right side of the road beside the area near Dolomite Beach to get passengers.
Loading and unloading stations are a basic infrastructure and system that can help instill discipline on the road.
This very important but basic ingredient is what’s been lacking that the MMDA and LGUs have not worked on through the years.
In martial arts, masters tell their students that if everything else fails, go back to basics.
