Shift EDSA bus lanes to the inner median for more efficiency

A webinar forum on post ECQ public transportation hosted by the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines

(As released) A new and more efficient public bus transportation service on EDSA was urged for the post lockdown period at a forum on public transportation hosted by the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX).

This new bus system is essential to cope in the environment where COVID-19 infection is a constant threat and also needed for the well-being of commuters, said Eduardo Yap. Yap was one of the two presenters. He is the chairman of the national affairs committee of FINEX and organizer of the forum. 

A key reform measure proposed by Yap is to shift the existing yellow bus lanes from the current curbside location to the inner lanes at the road median adjacent to the MRT-3 line.

The existing bus lanes have proven to be ineffective, Yap said. Any number of buses can enter and overload the yellow bus lanes, and private vehicles block the path of buses when turning to or from side streets. Oftentimes, buses just stagnate on the bus lanes together with other vehicles on the other lanes.

A dedicated and controlled bus way is required for buses to run unimpeded even during traffic-clogged peak traffic hours much like the MRT trains, Yap said. This way, the buses will run like a train and efficiency of the bus way will be optimized with more commuters getting to their destination faster instead of being stuck in traffic.

Two lanes are usually required at the station area. The inner lane is used for local service with more stops, while the adjacent outer lane is for express buses to overtake and proceed to their own stations. Beyond the stations, one lane will suffice when bus flow is well regulated. 

Shifting the bus way to the median lanes can be implemented as soon new station platforms and the buses are ready with left-sided doors, said Yap. At-grade crosswalks will suffice pending construction of overhead bridges for passengers to cross EDSA from the sidewalk to the stations and for the other way.

Safety features for these temporary crosswalks are needed for the safety of crossing commuters. They include rumble strips, speed bumps and signal lights. These crosswalks for transit commuters are widely used in many cities abroad, including Jakarta, Melbourne and even Toronto. 

To sustain the reformed bus service, other emergency measures were proposed by Yap. They include right sizing the bus fleet by rationalizing bus franchises that were issued over the past decades and restructuring bus routes, centralized management and central dispatching yards.

Corollary to these measures, existing bus operators shall be mobilized and bus operations outsourced to a concessionaire or consortium of operators to be supervised by an agency of the Department of Transportation.  

Outsourcing can be made under the public private partnership mode. Other proposed measures include flexible supply of buses to be based on demand where more buses are fielded during peak hours and less during off-peak.

The underlying principles of these reform measures are based on tried and tested urban bus transit systems in many cities abroad. One such system is the bus rapid transit which was introduced 47 years ago and, by 2018, operating in 146 cities worldwide with over 30 million passenger trips. 

These reform measures may be implemented in three phases and completed within the current Duterte administration. Quick positive results may be achieved under phase one where existing bus operators serve as the organized operating unit running on the existing bus lanes as interim measure.

The most benefit will be attained in phase 2 when the new busways and station platforms at the median are completed and utilized. Preferably, this should be ready for the busy Christmas season.

By phase 3, the envisioned infrastructure may be used to transition to a full-fledged modern world class surface urban mass transit system with either bus rapid transit system using high-capacity commuter buses or rail-based tram system.  

A paradigm shift in road space allocation is also required for the new normal where priority should be given to mass transit, instead of low occupancy private vehicles. More road space must be allocated to widen existing narrow sidewalks for pedestrians and dedicated bicycle lanes. A car-centric or oriented attitude in road space allocation is no longer appropriate. 

With this paradigm shift, EDSA may be transformed into an iconic tree-lined avenue with efficient clean energy mass transportation and walkable sidewalks on both sides. Others, such as Taft Avenue, may regain its lost sidewalk space and restore the acacia trees that once lined it.  

President Rodrigo Duterte is authorized to repurpose appropriations in the national budget under the recently enacted RA 11469 or Bayanihan Heal As One Act and this may be a source of funding for these emergency transportation measures. 

Transportation adviser and development planner Robert Siy warned of an impending crisis in public transportation and mobility, and that timely intervention will be needed to avert this.

Siy said the transportation sector has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis and this is expected to have an impact on commuters and on the rest of the economy. He said the requirement for physical distancing will severely reduce the capacity of all public transportation modes.  

Seating limits have to be introduced in all modes in addition to requirements for regular disinfection of vehicles. These measures are likely to render a large number of public transport operators as unviable.  

Because public transport capacity will likely be severely inadequate, many workers will be unable to get to work and will lose their jobs. Millions of commuters will experience much longer travel times.  

To avert this crisis, government needs to introduce measures that will improve the efficiency of the public transport fleet so that it can move as many passengers as possible with the same number of vehicles, said Siy.  

Government also needs to create safe walking and cycling corridors so that those who have no option except to walk or use a bicycle will not be at risk of collisions with motor vehicles.

Siy recommends the appropriation of P110 billion to finance the contracting of public transportation services; measures to promote safe walking and cycling; and development of infrastructure to support more efficient public transportation services.