Traffic Problems in the Philippines and Proposed Solutions

How do we feel about traffic? That’s a no-brainer. We hate it. And we feel the same for its synonyms which all mean that we’re going to be late for work again, words like “gridlock” and “congestion”.Anyone who has ever visited, worked in or lived in the Philippines would know how bad the traffic jams are in the cities, particularly Quezon City, Manila and Makati. The main avenues of these cities and even the secondary roads are often congested, and the problems of traffic congestion has become so serious that the economy is affected in no small way. There is a reason why popular novelist Dan Brown – author of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels and Demons’ – mentioned Metro Manila’s monumental traffic jams in his book ‘Inferno’. He called Metro Manila the ‘Gates of Hell’.

Traffic congestion is prevalent primarily in the cities, particularly Quezon City, Manila and Makati. The main avenues of these cities and even the secondary roads are often congested, and the problems of traffic congestion has become so serious that the economy is affected. 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.

In a recent report it released, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said that despite the Philippines’ better-than-expected economic growth, the Philippines risks losing to P6 billion a day by 2030 because of worsening traffic jams. The JICA said that the costs of traffic will continue to rise if adequate solutions to ease congestion are not immediately implemented.

In 2013, the same agency said that traffic problems cost the Philippines P2.4 billion every day in 2012.

The JICA has already presented a proposal to the Benigno Aquino government on how to improve the country’s transportation system. The proposal is packaged as a “dream plan” and outlines short-term and long-term developments. If and when implemented, it will cost the government around P2.3 trillion.

Many studies have been written on the economic costs of congested traffic, and they usually consider such factors such as cost of traffic value of time lost due to delay, fuel prices, vehicle operating costs, effects on health, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The following are the busiest roads in Metro Manila mainly comprised of highways and streets forming its circumferential and radial road network:

1) C-3 (Araneta Avenue, Gil Puyat Avenue, Ayala Avenue)

2) C-4 (EDSA, Samson Road, Letre)

3) C-5 (C.P. Garcia, E. Rodriguez, Katipunan)

4) R-1 (Roxas Boulevard, Bonifacio Drive)

5) R-2 (Taft Avenue)

6) R-7 (España Avenue, Quezon Avenue)

7) R-5 (Legarda Street, Ramon Magsaysay, Shaw

Boulevard, Pasig Boulevard)

8) R-6 (Aurora Boulevard, Marcos Highway)

9) Gil Puyat Avenue

10) Ortigas Avenue

11) R-7 (Espana Boulevard, Quezon Avenue,

Commonwealth Avenue)

12) R-9 (Rizal Avenue, McArthur Highway).

In a report posted on Rappler written by Katerina Francisco, professor in the University of the Philippines (UP) Jose Regin Regidor was quoted as saying that the wasted productivity hours because of traffic is equal to a monetary value that could be used for other things, such as earning extra income or spending more time with the family.

JICA’s P2.3-trillion infrastructure road map to decongest Metro Manila involves the establishment of new infrastructure and improving traffic management. New roads and expressways will be built, and this is intended to improve accessibility to rail systems, traffic enforcement and education. The public transport system will also be improved, and in the process, the country will be able to cut its traffic losses and even generate revenues.

The JICA reckons that the Philippines can save as much as P1.2 trillion in 2030. This is equivalent to P1.9 billion a day, or P570 billion a year from time cost savings and P2.1 billion a day or P630 billion annually from vehicle operating cost savings. The government can also generate up to P119 billion a year in toll and fare revenue. Commuters, on the other hand, will be able to save at least P18 daily and cut their travel time by 49 minutes per trip.

The demand for mass transit in the Philippines is seen to increase by 2030 to 7.4 million passengers a day by 2030. There is no arguing that there is a need for reliable mass transport services that can adequately serve all these passengers.

Based on surveys, public transport accounts for 69% of the total number of trips taken in Metro Manila every day. Currently, buses and jeepneys are the main modes of public transportation, accounting for 71% of trips.

In its proposed roadmap for 2030, the Japanese agency stressed the need for an integrated urban mass-transit network, with an efficient railway system making up a large part of the public transport mix.

JICA said railways should ideally take up a 41% share of the overall transport system, with jeeps and buses at 33% and cars at 26%.

The Problem of Road Congestion

Congestion is a real social problem that needs to be resolved because of its serious effects. In a nutshell, it isolates people from their various activities such as business, recreation, and family time.

Generally, congestion results in a less productive work force. Except when they commit the dangerous and potentially fatal mistake of talking to someone on their mobile phones, drivers are not very productive while commuting. In the Philippines where majority of employee take public transport, people use the time they’re stuck in traffic to call work, issue instructions or clarify issues, but on the whole, everyone ends up tense, frustrated and already tired when they get to work.

Congestion also adds to the country’s air pollution. This is because congestion leads to increased fuel consumption and automobile emissions as vehicles are forced to operate less efficiently. More cars on the road also mean increased greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn could lead to health costs. The JICA report said greenhouse gas emissions are expected to increase to 5.72 million tons a year in 2030, compared to 4.7 million tons a year in 2012.

Congestion caused by unexpected events can also lead to higher statistics of vehicular accidents. When traffic incidents occur, congestion often appears in places where motorists do not expect it. Rubbernecking and conflicts with emergency vehicles also serve to exacerbate the problem.

In the meantime, construction and road work create unexpected changes in highway alignment and other features. By reducing how long traffic incidents and road work operations last, congestion can be reduced and reliability and commuter safety can be improved. .

Traffic Jams and Effects on Work

According to a research titled “Employer Views on Traffic Congestion” (Policy Brief 115 of the Reason Foundation, February 2014), traffic congestion is a problem not just for individual commuters but for businesses as well. While commuters are greatly concerned over rush hour traffic, businesses are also concerned with the off-peak hour (non-rush hour) delivery of goods. It was pointed out in the research that because businesses are concerned with congestion during both time periods, their views on traffic congestion differ from those of commuters. Solving rush hour and off-peak congestion is also more challenging than merely solving rush hour congestion.

The study stated that congestion affects employers in several ways. Primarily, it affects impacts corporate activities such as shipping/receiving, logistics and distribution, client meetings and other business activities. It also limits worker availability and productivity by affecting employees’ commutes. In the Philippines, the effects of congestion on workers and employees are a sore issue. Congestion leads to workers arriving late; commuting hassles for workers, frustration/stress, long work commutes, long travel time, and loss of personal time.

In the Philippines, street, traffic or system problems are major issues. These include construction activities, accidents/incidents, inconvenient roads for customers and other causes of traffic such as safety issues, poor road design, traffic signals, and delays on specific roads.

In the case of Flat Planet, most of its employees live outside of Ayala, Makati where the company’s headquarters are located. Many live in the South and North of Makati, and commute daily to get to work. They have to contend with various ongoing road projects, the massive volume of private cars and public utility vehicles that occupy the main roads that lead to Ayala.

To avoid getting trapped in the morning rush, Flat Planet employees leave their homes at least two hours before they shift begins. Without traffic, the commute should take only an hour or an hour and a half give or take. Of course, some employees still arrive late, but only for five to 10 minutes and seldom more.

Flat Planet takes a very serious stand against tardiness, as lateness is considered unprofessional. It has a biometric finger scanner and all staff are required to scan in and out at the start and end of each day. At the end of each month, those who had many late days are notified via email.

Measures to Ease Traffic Congestion

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.

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.

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.

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