Measures to Ease Traffic Congestion in the Philippines.

     According to Gilbert Felongco in an article posted on Gulf News, congestion appears to be worsening in the Philippines as wealthier Filipinos buy more vehicles and enjoy their improved spending power.

    Arsenio Balisacan, Director General of the National Economic Development Authority, said that the Philippines loses P2.4 billion (Dh204 million) per day in potential income as a result of traffic congestion problems and lost productivity.

   Also, for a minute, suppose that 30,000 vehicles pass through each of main roads every day and each vehicle is able to save one liter of fuel per day due to congestion reduction. If fuel is priced an average of P45 /L, then this is easily equivalent to savings of 1,425,000 P per day per road. For 12 roads and assuming to include only travel on weekdays, the total savings per year can be computed as P4.212 billion.

Photo taken from Google

         In response to constantly mounting criticism, however, the Philippine government said that relief is underway.  It said that the main focus of efforts is to ease traffic flow in EDSA, Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare. There is also a campaign to remove unregistered buses from city roads, and to move the terminals of provincial buses away from EDSA. The government plans to build the north and south terminal so that buses plying provincial routes do not have to take the EDSA route. 

         Based on reports, Metro Manila’s last major road rehabilitation program was implemented some 20 years ago. Various peripheral improvements in the metropolis have been implemented since then, but population growth and the commercial and economic development have also ensured that more business establishments use EDSA than ever before.

Photo taken from Google

         Compounding the road situation in Metro Manila the poor drainage system. Whenever the rains come, commuters are often trapped for long hours in traffic.  Spokespersons from the Department of Public Works and Highways said that it was doing flood mitigation plans for Metro Manila. The government targets to pave all national roads by 2015-2016.

         While total reduction of congestion is next to impossible in the Philippines, consistent and serious efforts to improve transportation infrastructure for Metro Manila including much delayed mass transport systems can translate to genuine benefits. Such benefits include increased productivity and perhaps a healthier metropolitan population who have to contend with less stress and air pollution.

          The business community in the Philippines is all for investing on transportation infrastructure to reduce congestion and lower costs associated with traffic jams. Continued procrastination over road and other infrastructure projects that should have been implemented long before will only leader to higher productivity losses.

-Flat Planet