How to create traffic

There is a right way of doing traffic re-routing and there is a wrong way of doing traffic re-routing. But the recent closure of Henry Javier Street by Pasig City officials is tantamount to a traffic disaster and soon to be a daily traffic nightmare!

First of all, it is hard to comprehend the logic of ripping up the entire length of Henry Javier which starts from Meralco Avenue all the way to Shaw Boulevard, all in one go instead of sections so they could have avoided having to turn the road into a temporary one way road. For those not very familiar, Henry Javier is the road that runs alongside the DepEd in front of Ultra Sports Center and the Valle Verde Country Club as well as the Capitol Commons / Uni-mart commercial residential complex. This road also serves as a connector for residents of Valle Verde going to Shaw Boulevard in order to go to EDSA-Makati or C5-BGC in Taguig. By making the road one-way toward Meralco Avenue, all vehicles are now forced to pass through four traffic lights with three times the vehicle volume than before since they are all together in one direction.

Granting that it would be more efficient to rip, dig and pave the road in one go, they could have done it one lane at a time since Henry Javier is wide enough to be used as a two-way single lanes roadway. Tighter and slower yes, but not chaotic as the one-way system Pasig City has implemented. To make matters worse, Pasig City relied mostly on small billboards in a very brief period of time to announce the roadwork and closure of Captain Henry Javier Street. In fact, the ripping and digging took place only days or a week apart from hanging the billboards and the heavy equipment coming in. Personally, I believe they could have done a better job if they copied the time tested and logical approach done by the MMDA which is to ALWAYS do a dry run especially before ripping up the roads just to avoid the election ban!

The demolition and rerouting of the road was done so quickly that even the traffic enforcers themselves were overwhelmed by the after effect or surge of volume in the area which increased congestion on Meralco Avenue as well as Shaw Boulevard. If Pasig City had done a one-week dry run of the one-way scheme, they would have seen the effect of the congestion surge and could have planned for it especially with additional personnel. They could also have cleared some areas such as Oranbo Drive and talked to the management of Capitol Commons and Barrio Kapitolyo arrange temporary passageway even for rush hour only! But as it stands, this poorly planned scheme has just added to more woes for the residents and VOTERS of Pasig City. What good is a project if it causes you to lose votes?

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Speaking of traffic management, the City of Mandaluyong deserves commendation for their better implementation of a one-way scheme that has opened up Pioneer Street from EDSA, Boni Avenue and other connecting roads. Many drivers have given positive reviews on the one way scheme because not only did the one way system spread vehicles toward three destinations (EDSA, Mandaluyong, and Pasig), Pioneer Street was also widened dramatically so the usual congestion practically disappeared.

While the mayor and city officials of Mandaluyong are around and about, they should seriously talk with the MMDA and the DPWH to place lane separators or lane dividers on the approach of the EDSA – Crossing flyover toward Pasig. Everyday except weekends, vehicles going into the EDSA service road regularly block all lanes including the lane for vehicles going up the flyover. This is what usually causes traffic to build up all the way to the bottom of Shaw Boulevard on the Mandaluyong side. The simple placement of lane separators or concrete lane dividers will make sure that one lane will remain open for those going up the flyover and not get stuck below. It’s a very simple solution that simply requires a couple of phone calls from the mayor!

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In like manner we would like to call the attention of the SLEX management concerning the now regular congestion that happens at the off ramp of the Skyway near their Alabang Toll gates. The volume of vehicles and undisciplined or ignorant drivers cutting into or merging with oncoming traffic from Magallanes/Sucat etc. has now become a serious safety and efficiency concern for many motorists using SLEX. It is not enough to post enforcers and motorcycles with flashers. The SLEX needs to introduce physical or engineering solutions such as lane dividers so that drivers and vehicles driving down from the Skyway do so without being a safety threat and an unnecessary cause of delay or slow down on what is suppose to be a highway. SLEX management has not addressed this long existing problem and with the coming “Carmageddon” during the official Christmas season, chances are SLEX bosses will get more hits especially on social media. Do something now before real accidents happen and lives are lost.

Another growing concern are “newbies” driving on toll roads especially those who insist on driving at 80kph  on the fast lane and others who are unsure with lane changes. Toll operators need to start taking their law enforcement responsibilities seriously and not simply concentrate on collecting money and improving roads and facilities. There are an increasing number of inexperienced drivers entering the tollways and customers should be assured that their safety is not compromised by someone else’s lack of experience. If this happens, the toll operators and their sitting pretty executives will surely get dragged into the court of public opinion. Do your job before someone takes it away from you!  

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