EDSA subway and upgrade urged

The Management Association of the Philippines (M.A.P.) welcomes the announcement of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for a subway in Metro Manila. The declaration provides the catalyst for both the public and private sectors to focus and engage in a discourse on this ultimate mass transit option. Most large cities in Asia and elsewhere have subways while Metro Manila, although already a megapolis, is the exception.

The M.A.P. released in August 26, 2015, an “EDSA Dream Plan” as part of its holistic transportation and traffic plan for Metro Manila, which among various other recommendations, called for a commuter subway under EDSA. This will provide the most efficient mass transit on this densest traffic corridor without causing disturbance to the above-ground environment. At the same time, it will afford the opportunity for government planners to follow progressive green and more pedestrian-friendly urban road development practices abroad. This long and major EDSA road artery, currently noisy, heavily polluted and chaotic, can be transformed into a world class, iconic and pleasant tree-lined boulevard that our country and people can be proud of and enjoy.

A subway and a beautified EDSA will bring Metro Manila in line with other great cities in Asia. It is not a ‘bridge too far’ to attain. President John F. Kennedy declared a moon landing as a priority objective at a time when the US trailed behind the USSR in space technology. Six years later, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and JFK was given credit for the accomplishment.

The MAP supports the multi-line subway system in Metro Manila now being laudably considered by Secretary Arturo Tugade of the DOTr as part of its long-term mass transit solution. MAP suggests EDSA as the priority line for fast track planning and implementation starting from North Avenue to Makati that will run under and complement the MRT3. A presidential executive order to this effect will be helpful for planners and prospective proponents to provide focus and impetus. This EDSA subway can be named “Mabuhay Metro Line 1” to signify a resurgent Philippines.

Ideally, the optimal nearest to the surface subterranean right-of-way under EDSA be allocated exclusively for this north-south line to afford the most convenient access to ?commuters. Such location also provides easier links to adjoining high density establishments, such as large office complexes, shopping malls and mixed-use residential and commercial developments along the line. All other lines, particularly those that may intersect with Line 1, be designated secondary lines to be allotted the space underneath Line 1. The line most in demand must be nearest to the surface for commuters’ accessibility and convenience.

EDSA as the subway priority is supported by findings of the “origin and destination” study conducted by the then DOTC, which showed that the most number of commutes in Metro Manila are in a north-south direction. It is also visually evident that EDSA, from North Avenue to Makati, is the densest commuter corridor in Metro Manila. EDSA MRT3 carried over 600 thousand passengers per day at its peak. A horde of other commuters not accommodated by MRT3 is badly served by thousands of smoke-belching individually operated buses and other PUVs inefficiently plying the EDSA route. Massive mixed-use commercial and residential complexes now being developed and planned are demand generators that must also be considered. No other route has this much commuter demand now and in the future.

DOTr Usec Noel Kintanar started the subway ball rolling by floating the revival of the previously planned east-west oriented subway traversing under EDSA to serve Taguig BGC, Ayala Center and MOA in Pasay as one of the possible lines to comprise the Metro Manila subway system. Mass transit linking these three bustling growth nodes makes good sense. In the review of the viability of this line, the low ridership count may be a factor to consider. An added challenge is the thorny legal issue of subterranean rights under the many private properties that the line, by necessity, have to be traversed.

Until ridership is shown to reach the critical mass and property value enhancements are seen to be sufficient to render this east-west subway line viable such that private investors are willing to undertake the project without government subsidy, Usec Kintanar may want to consider other equally effective but more doable mass transit options in the review process. Governments here and abroad usually provides subsidy as in the case of the MRT3.

One viable and quicker alternative for possible consideration is by having a spur LRT1 line from its Baclaran station to MOA through Diosdado Macapagal Blvd in Pasay City. This would effectively link Ayala Center to MOA and at much less cost. Another is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system on an east-west loop expressway using existing but upgraded road ways, including the soon-to-be completed NAIA Skyway, as previously proposed by this author in “BRT on intracity loop expressway” published on July 14, 2004.

A subway under EDSA will provide a rare opportunity for urban transformation. With mass transit above and underneath consisting of the overhead MRT3, subway and, pending its completion a BRT, less road space on EDSA will be needed for traffic-clogging, noisy and polluting vehicles. The present five road lanes on each side may be reduced to four. In keeping with more pedestrian oriented and green urban planning, the extra lane may be used to widen the presently very narrow sidewalk, which in many sections is a measly one and half meter wide that is not sufficient for pedestrians, much less serve as roadside bus stops. A wider sidewalk will allow space for trees to be planted along the entire 23 kilometers of EDSA, to become more conducive and wholesome environment for pedestrians to walk or even provide a safe bike lane that will immensely enhance its aesthetic appeal and utility.
Mabuhay Metro Line 1 will open up endless possibilities for much need urban transformation to render Metro Manila more livable. It will be an enduring legacy of the Duterte administration and stand as a testament to progressive governance.