Metro Manila Christmas traffic ‘the worst ever’

Several horror stories were reported to Spy Bits about the traffic in Metro Manila which many motorists now describe as “the worst ever.” Last Friday was probably one of the most awful with one motorist telling us it took him eight hours to reach Quezon City from Tagaytay, which on a “normal” day only takes two hours to travel. Another one told me he got stuck in a three-hour jammer on his way from Alabang going also to Quezon City. Still another said his trip from Makati to Manila Hotel took over two hours – and these are only a few of the horrible tales by frustrated motorists and commuters who all agree they have never before experienced this kind of aggravation due to traffic.

That doesn’t even include stories about people missing their flights. Airlines now advice people to allocate three hours for commute time going to the airport just so they could be on time for check-in one-and-a-half hour before their flight (for local destinations, two hours for international). Factor in the time for check in and immigration clearance for international travelers (which could take one hour or more depending) and you’d be spending about six hours to prepare for a flight.

The 2015 Global Driver Satisfaction Index conducted by the traffic and navigation app Waze named Metro Manila as the worst in the world, giving it a rating of 0.4, even below the scale from 1-10 with one being “miserable,” while 10 is “satisfying.” The same survey that involved 50 million users in 32 countries and 167 metro areas also revealed the Philippines has the longest average commuting time compared with 18 other cities surveyed. 

Many blame the simultaneous road construction and repair projects – 146 in all – being done all over Metro Manila as one of the reasons why people are experiencing this kind of nightmare. There is a strong suspicion the road constructions were purposely delayed so the administration can have something to claim as “work in progress” before it finally exits in 2016. If true, it looks like this scheme is going to boomerang because the people are angry, stressed and frustrated, with a lot of expletives about traffic being uttered (no longer monopolized by presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte).

While the Metro Manila Development Authority has decided to hold all road construction in Metro Manila starting Dec. 14 up to Jan. 3 precisely to ease the holiday traffic, flagship projects such as Skyway Stage 3, the NAIA Expressway, and the Balintawak interceptor project continue – all of which could still affect traffic. Many also doubt if this moratorium would work because the holes created by the diggings will still slow down the flow of vehicles. We’re told there’s a plan to temporarily cover up the holes with dirt – a poorly thought out solution because they would be digging the same holes again, which is a waste of time and money. 

The MMDA and the DOTC have cooked up the “Holiday Non-Stop Bus Service” that will run until Jan. 6 in a bid to convince vehicle owners to take the bus and lessen the number of cars plying EDSA, but the feedback we got has not been very encouraging because for one, car owners will have to spend extra for parking at the malls that have been designated as terminals. Regular commuters also find the fare a bit prohibitive for such a short stretch, plus the fact they will have to walk going to the designated loading area (or take an extra ride) and then walk again to their final destination because the buses only stop at a certain designated point. 

This may sound like a joke, but a vehicle owner who took pity on a pedestrian who was walking hurriedly with sweat running down his face offered a ride in his car. The man politely declined, saying, “Thanks, but no thanks, I’m in a hurry,” and continued walking at a brisk pace. 

Whichever way you look at it, the traffic situation is causing stress – the killer kind – to everybody. And we’re not just referring to road rage incidents but the implications on people’s health. According to a doctor, there is such a thing as “holiday stress” with more people suffering from heart attacks during the Christmas season. About 85 percent of air pollution in Metro Manila comes from vehicles – and traffic aggravates this due to toxic fumes that are emitted when vehicles are stalled and their engines are just idling. 

On the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, some 1,000 mayors from major cities all over the world also held their own summit at Paris City Hall to discuss pollution and other climate change issues, saying they don’t want to wait for an agreement from their leaders before they act. Hopefully, the mayors of Metro Manila will also have the same mindset and initiate ways to fight this traffic and pollution mess at their own levels.

MOPC-MVP golf tourney a success

The MOPC-MVP Cup fully sponsored by the MVP Group of Companies was held at the Manila Golf and Country Club yesterday and it was a resounding success, with the ceremonial tee off attended by US Ambassador Philip Goldberg, Canadian Ambassador Neil Reeder, Indian Ambassador LT Ralte and Thai Ambassador Thanatip Upatising. The Manila Overseas Press Club board of governors together with Tony Lopez and myself, hosted the events with MVP media bureau head Mike Toledo and Patricia Hizon acting as emcees during the awarding ceremonies. Members of the diplomatic circle, business execs and media people who joined the golf invitational include Fausto Preysler, Tony Garcia, Arthur Lopez, Mary Ann Reyes, Jun Engracia and Mary Jane Llanes of the SMC Group with Jun Periquet, Ed Alinio and Pepe Rodriguez.

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