EDITORIAL - Worst places for driving

Here’s a reminder about a pressing problem that continues to bedevil millions of people every day, and still waits for decisive action from the new administration: Cebu City is the most miserable place on the planet for driving, while the Philippines ranks 37th among 38 countries as the worst for drivers.

This was the verdict of millions of users of Waze, who participated in the navigation app’s latest global survey. The Waze Driver Satisfaction Index ranks countries and metropolitan areas on a scale of 1 to 10, from satisfying to miserable, with 10 being the worst. The index polls driver satisfaction based on six criteria: traffic density, road quality, road safety, services for motorists such as access to parking and gas stations, socio-economic aspects such as gas prices and access to cars, and satisfaction with Waze.

Of 186 metropolitan areas in the survey, Manila landed at 170th place, with Cebu City at the bottom of the heap. Residents of both urban centers may disagree with the ranking. The survey methodology has also been criticized particularly by governments in the areas included. Still, the results can serve as a guide for those trying to untangle the traffic mess in Metro Manila and other urban centers such as Cebu, where traffic gridlocks have also become a serious problem.

While President Duterte waits for emergency powers to deal with the traffic mess notably in Metro Manila, the criteria in the popular navigation app should encourage improvements that don’t require special powers.

Road quality, for example, has suffered from corruption. This is something that President Duterte can deal with by improving accountability in road construction, and then promising hellfire on contractors and government personnel alike who are responsible for substandard roads. For road safety, there’s a special fund for this – the Road User’s Tax. How has the fund been utilized?

The government cannot compel the private sector to set up gas stations where business prospects are weak. But standards can be imposed to improve gas station amenities such as public lavatories. In cities, parking can be regulated on narrow streets used as secondary routes. And to improve access to parking, the President can push legislation requiring all shopping malls to allot large areas for free parking, and all buildings to have ample parking spaces. Housing and land use laws can be amended so that gated subdivisions are required to open main roads for public use.

Emergency powers will bring quick results, but certain measures can be done now. The traffic mess is begging for immediate action.