Every motorist constantly encounters reckless drivers disregarding traffic rules and courtesies resulting in more chaos, delays and jeopardizing the safety of all persons on the road
It’s been over a year since the Supreme Court concluded the oral arguments on the Constitutionality of the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) raised from injunctions filed by four transport groups and other parties.
The NCAP, a legitimate Public Private Partnership project implemented by LGUs to enforce road discipline and stop corruption among traffic enforcers through a network of CCTVs that recorded violations 24 by 7, has been suspended since the SC issued a TRO in August 2022.
The big irony is the petitioners are actually traffic violators that have been caught by the NCAP technology that were able to raise legal issues that merited a TRO from the SC.
These groups are actually guilty of violating traffic rules, causing traffic jams, and exposing the commuting public to safety risks.
When headlines broke out that Metro Manila being ranked as having the “worst traffic” among all the megalopolises of the planet, it just confirmed the daily hardship that millions of people have to endure as a costly and unproductive reality that has remained an undelivered promise of many administrations. Several studies were actually cited in varied news reports, but the findings all validate the fact that traffic has gotten worse than pre-pandemic times.
I myself can attest to this as my workplace is less than seven kilometers from home but a one way rush hour trip will typically take one to an hour-and-a-half or about a total of three hours from my workday. A bicycle ride can cover that same route in 15 to 20 minutes. During abnormally light traffic, it’s just an eight minute drive.
Road and Mass transportation infrastructure could not keep up with the growing number of vehicles in Metro Manila which, according to Statista’s 2024 data, has a total daily traffic volume of approximately 3.5 million vehicles.
Try to imagine (approximate numbers) 1.7 million motorcycles, 1.6 million cars, 125 thousand taxis, 101 thousand public utility jeepneys, 75 thousand trucks, 34 thousand utility vehicles, 23 thousand utility buses, 21 thousand tricycles, and 20 thousand trailers, all jostling for space in the congested streets of the metropolis.
The long term solution is a well-integrated and modernized mass transportation system and infrastructure, but while we are still dreaming for this to happen, people and businesses will be forced to purchase vehicles for daily transport which means even more traffic.
2023 data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and Truck Manufacturers Association’s reported joint sales reaching 429,807 units which is a surge of 21.9 percent from 2022.
While we wait and hope that this government’s transportation infrastructure projects and ongoing initiatives to upgrade the public transportation system will gradually gain momentum, what can we do?
Given the current limitations of Metro Manila’s road and public transportation network, the only thing we can do is to have both self-imposed and enforced road discipline to keep order amidst the congestion.
My favorite illustration is how flowing traffic of a two- or one-way road is instantly jammed by one PUV stopping in the middle of the lane to pick up or disembark passengers even when there’s a designated stop or shoulder available.
Every motorist constantly encounters reckless drivers disregarding traffic rules and courtesies resulting in more chaos, delays and jeopardizing the safety of all persons on the road.
Add to that the sad practice of bribing traffic enforcers to escape the penalties of traffic violations.
Data from LGUs showed how effective NCAP has been.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte stated in news reports that traffic violations were significantly reduced in the NCAP monitored areas by 75 percent.
The City of Parañaque’s records (2018-2022) revealed an 84 percent drop in traffic offenses.
In Valenzuela, Mayor Wes Gatchalian was quoted reporting 200,000 traffic violators apprehended in 2019.
The certainty of being caught on camera and high fines works for the Filipino driver psyche.
A Pulse Asia Survey commissioned by Stratbase, showed that 8 out of 10 of nationwide respondents approve of the implementation of NCAP and majority also agree that “NCAP will be effective in achieving its objective of disciplining motorists to improve road safety.”
The case is clear for NCAP to be back online ASAP.