Possible Solutions to the Traffic of the Philippines.

Photo taken from Google

          From the economical point of view, the Philippines are so far behind in terms of infrastructure. A good infrastructure can boost the productivity as well as the economy of the Philippines. 
First of all, Philippines in particular Metro Manila needs to have a proper road traffic regulation in place. The government needs to stress everyone to follow this regulations, no matter what even if they have to place harsh punishment for those violating these regulations. Introducing some sort of point system to the public. For every violation you have to pay and you will receive points. Once you reach a certain amount of points due to continuously committing road violations, you will have to give up your drivers license for a couple of months. Should this be repeated, violators need to do their drivers license again. They also need to work on the jeepneys. In some areas of Manila, they are the ones who are causing the traffic. They are just picking up pedestrians wherever they appear, causing to interrupt the traffic flow. The government needs to built proper jeepney stations on the side of the roads, so the jeepneys can just drive in, pick up their customers and most importantly not causing any traffic. Manila also needs more traffic lights with a proper software. These traffic enforcers are useless. If they are taking their breaks, no one is there on the roads to guide the vehicles, therefore causing traffic again. Instead of really thinking about the cause of traffic and how to get rid of it, the Philippines are just trying to cure the symptoms, placing dancing traffic enforcers on the streets to reduce traffic stress. Seriously? This might be fun but the traffic is still there.

-Mike Smith

        It depends on what type of analysis you perform, and what type of solution you want. The problem can be analyzed in a strategic, tactical, or operational level, with corresponding solutions providing different levels of effectiveness, as follows:

Photo taken from Google

For our traffic problems, I believe that we have problems in the strategic level. Ideal scenario is to create strategic solutions for the long-term, and implement various tactical and operational solutions as stop-gap. Strategic solutions are normally not very visible to the public, and its effect is not immediately felt. Tactical and operational solutions, on the other hand, are very visible and these are what we interpret as the "only solution" provided by our government. 
 
Tactical and operational solutions include establishing U-turns, limiting the volume of vehicles (number coding, truck ban), adjusting and controlling bus and jeepney routes, among others. I will not delve into these strategies since these are just stop-gaps and, though important, I think the question is asking for a more long-term solution.
 
In implementing strategic solutions, it is important to understand and analyze the root cause of the problem. For me, the following causes should be addressed to have an effective and efficient transportation system:
 
1. Poor urban planning. We design our transportation system (roads, mass transports, etc.) based on historical or current capacity and not based on the expected volume 10 to 20 years from now. 
 
2. Poor change management. We do not have an effective mechanism to proactively initiate changes in the system due to new developments (e.g., creation of central business district in an area). 
 
3. Ineffective regulator. I know many people who do not know how to drive but are given driving licenses. Also, franchises are not effectively monitored and controlled. 
 
4. Lack of discipline. This is not limited to the drivers and operators, but also for the commuting public. 
 
5. Graft and corruption. This hinders effective implementation of transportation system since we are using less of our already limited resources.

-Raymond Santos