HOW DO WE SOLVE THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM IN METRO MANILA?

(Second of two parts)

1) Ban small public vehicles on main roads, streets, and thoroughfares that are traffic-ridden. Jeepneys should be allowed to operate in areas where there is no traffic problem. The operation of ikot jeepneys on UP campus is an example. Jeepneys can operate within subdivisions too.

2) Public transportation vehicles on main roads that are susceptible to traffic should be bigger to maximize the use of road space. Buses are better, but Double-decker buses are the best. The more passengers a vehicle can take, the lesser the demand for more vehicles.

3) Workers, especially in the Government, should have two different daily working schedules: 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. The two-hour interval should be enough to ease the rush hours. To implement this, half of the personnel of a certain government department will show up at 7 a.m, and the other half at 9 a.m.. Lunch hour traffic will be eased too because there will be two one-hour breaks, 11 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.. To be fair, the scheduling should be alternated biweekly.

That means after fourteen days the 7 a.m. workers will show up at 9 a.m and the 9 a.m. workers will show up at 7 a.m. Private companies can implement this easy traffic policy. This increases productivity too. Businesses and offices will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. without hiring new people and spending extra for salaries and overtime.

metro manila traffic congestion — Commuters have to endure intense traffic jams every single day
(Credits: Twitter account of MMDA)

4) Delivery trucks that transport supplies and cargoes should be restricted to use the main roads only between 10 a.m to 3 p.m, which are non-rush hours. Trucks that deliver produce or products to supermarkets, restaurants, malls and other business establishments should be encouraged to operate at night until early in the morning.

5) Workers should be encouraged to eat lunch at work, so they do not have to commute or drive just for that. Business establishments and government offices with many workers should be required to put up in-house cafeterias and eating spaces. Also, instead of going to restaurants, workers should be encouraged to order food. Yeah, those who deliver food should ride motorcycles not cars.

6) A different color coding should be implemented for easy detection of offenders. The Department of Transportation and Communication should conduct a survey regarding the numbers of cars in metro manila by color. The exterior paint colors of cars should be used for color coding. Again, that is for easy spotting. Perhaps red, silver, or black cars will only be allowed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

7) Carpooling (ride sharing) should be encouraged. To do that, the color coding above should not apply to carpoolers. That means as long as there are more than one person inside the car, the driver can use any car or car color he wants. That should be done to encourage carpooling. A driver who drops off his boss or someone is not really carpooling because when he goes home he will be alone and the color coding exemption will not apply. Ergo, carpooling works for people who have the same jobs, schedules, starting points, and destinations.

8) A single-person household that owns more than one car should be taxed (special property tax) according to the number of extra cars. A two-or-more-person household will only be allowed to own two cars if they do not want to be taxed. The idea is that the excessive lifestyle of the rich should not burden the poor commuters.

9) Provincial bus terminals should be far from main roads and city centers with traffic problems. Such buses should have a consistent schedule of operation, so a commuter will know what time he should go to a provincial bus terminal and catch a ride. A bus schedule for Rizal or Bulacan, for example, can be every two or three hours and during non-rush hours, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and at night until early in the morning. Online or telephone reservation should be encouraged.

10) Taxicabs should not be allowed to pick up passengers in the main streets that have traffic problems. They can only drop them off. Taxicab companies or operators should be encouraged to operate through online reservation or telephone request a la Uber but for taxicabs. To deter a passenger from reserving but taking another taxicab when he conveniently sees one passing by, passengers should be billed a certain amount using the phone number he uses to reserve. Also, there should be taxicab terminals in places where their services are highly in demand such as airports. malls, and convention centers.

Those suggestions from a Filipino transsexual, who loves her country and does not want the traffic problems in Metro Manila to affect the national economy, can be immediately implemented. If you will not believe me, let the Filipino experts study them. There.

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