Traffic in EDSA. Photo by Eloisa Lopez via Reuters.
Metro Manila is almost never without heavy traffic, a city ranked 3rd worst in Southeast Asia in a traffic poll. Everyone has their own idea of what could solve the problem, but some are more accepted than others. Caloocan Representative and Council member to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Edgar Erice’s recent suggestion to ban private vehicles from the metro’s main highway EDSA, is part of the latter category.
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During an interview with radio station DZMM this morning, he said that private vehicles shouldn’t be allowed in EDSA from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., claiming that “even if you double, triple the buses and public utility vehicles there in EDSA, traffic would still be light and more citizens would benefit.” His proposal aims to make EDSA a “mass transport highway” that’s only open to public utility vehicles like buses."Workers should be able to get home faster and earlier,” he said.Based on the MMDA’s latest data, the average vehicle volume in EDSA was at 402,000 in July. During rush hours, the highway is usually clogged, with cars at a standstill — a 25-kilometer end to end drive through it can take as long as three hours. Home to around 13 million, there is nearly one vehicle registered per person in Metro Manila, resulting in a loss of $3.5 billion daily in productivity because of traffic.Of course, Erice’s suggestion did not go over well with most residents. EDSA connects the north and south of Metro Manila, with major business districts in between, so many citizens depend on it when traveling to and from work. Erice’s proposal immediately went viral on social media, with netizens poking holes at the plan.“Come up with something more realistic please. What is your counterproposal considering the lack of efficient public transport?” @jclem3 said.
@MontoGawe tweeted: "Improve public transportation that even private car owners won't see the need of bringing their cars or of owning one. That's the mark of progress. That's the herald of First World status.”
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Apart from pushing private vehicles to smaller inner roads that will likely get congested as well, Erice’s suggestion also proves to be difficult because Manila’s train system is unreliable. Earlier this month, the MRT-3 system broke down due to a power supply problem. There are also a number of ongoing road construction projects at the moment, which adds to the traffic.@rgbdotph, meanwhile, listed reasons why banning private cars won't work.
Erice said he is amenable to allowing carpooling on EDSA during the specified hours, instead of banning all private cars entirely, but is against allowing ride-sharing services like Grab. Due to the traffic situation, Filipinos have grown dependent on the app. However, he said the government could look into allowing them as well.With traffic worsening on Manila’s main highway EDSA and the Christmas season rushing in, the Philippine government has been scrambling to find a solution to ease traffic. A few weeks ago, the MMDA asked netizens for suggestions to help with the traffic situation, which only backfired with Filipinos asking why they needed to provide solutions when the government unit should have its own research team at their disposal.The government also recently deployed “really pretty” female police officers to help onsite as a way to de-stress passengers from the standstill situation, an initiative that was immediately criticized for being sexist.
Although Erice's suggestions has not been filed as a bill, the MMDA has welcomed it. Other politicians have also raised other solutions that ban certain vehicles from EDSA.
