‘SLEX traffic’ explained

After hearing so much lamentation about the unusual traffic and travel time on SLEX northbound due to the Skyway Extension project, we invited Manny Bonoan of SLEX to come on the show AGENDA (Cignal TV) to explain what exactly is going on and what is being done to address the problem. Believe it or not Manny Bonoan also got tied up in traffic and almost didn’t make it to the show. Late as he was, he managed to give our viewers enough information to make sense of the whole problem and here’s what he shared.

First of all, the Skyway “extension” project is actually a voluntary improvement that San Miguel Corp. initiated in order to address the complaints of many customers about the traffic build up caused by cars coming down from the Skyway ramp into the SLEX southbound and the traffic and difficulty many Skyway users have in trying to get unto the Skyway ramp northbound because buses and trucks don’t give way even if you use your signal light as you try to enter the lane and ramp. To fix the problem, the SLEX-SMC group decided to first construct an On-ramp to the Skyway before you reach the Alabang viaduct. This way people going to the airport and Makati area can avoid the volume of vehicles crisscrossing on the approach of the viaduct. Once this “advance on-ramp” is completed, the next project will be on the other side or the southbound lane of SLEX. The Skyway will be extended past the Alabang exit so Skyway customers going south and past Alabang will have a separate ramp from those going to Alabang thus reducing the volume of vehicles coming down and merging into the SLEX before Alabang. This will seriously reduce the traffic build-up that sometimes stretches to Sucat and regularly slows down traffic especially on Fridays and Saturdays.

The decision to convert the East Service Road between Alabang and Sucat into one way directional roads is a temporary solution meant to give Muntinlupa motorists some space while allowing the project proponents to set up equipment. At the moment traffic jams are happening because people have yet to adjust and get used to the temporary system. Meanwhile, Manny Bonoan announced that the SLEX will implement a strict truck ban and will not allow trucks inside the SLEX during the truck ban hours so that they don’t eat up space that could be used by rush hour commuters. It has been observed that truck and delivery van drivers often time their entry into SLEX so that by the time they get out the truck ban will be over. But this practice puts them in competition with regular cars and commuter vans and adds to the congestion. We suggested to Manny Bonoan to cordon off a point to point lane for vehicles who won’t be exiting until C5 or Makati and to start arresting drivers who insist on staying on the fast/ over-taking lane because they are partly to blame for momentary build ups. Hopefully the SLEX-SMC management will put a little more teeth to this law enforcement part because it is a major cause of delay.

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For something that got special emphasis during the President’s SONA speech, the order to reclaim all public roads seems to have become a case of “ningas cogon” or brush fire that burns so brightly at the start and burns out with a whimper. The last thing I read was a small piece buried in the inside pages of the Philippine STAR quoting DILG Undersecretary Martin Diño that most of the barangay captains in Metro Manila failed to comply with the President’s order.

That of course is not news because many media outlets and programs have been stating that fact weeks before the deadline. The bad news is that many ordinary citizens love and support the road clearing operations but when they report or complain about failed campaigns most of them are afraid to identify themselves or give the name of their barangay captain or officials for fear of reprisal. This is very disturbing to observe, especially in the light of Congress once again suggesting that we extend the term of office for barangay officials. I don’t know if the fear is because the official is also your neighbor or because many barangay officials now have a reputation for using muscle or abusing power? Perhaps this is something Martin Diño should look into when they assess the non-compliance of barangay captains to the President’s orders. Is there a Metro Manila wide fear of Barangay Captains? What can be done to temper or neutralize the source of such fears?

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The Bureau of Fire Protection should seriously investigate the Pasay City Fire Marshal or officer who couldn’t help himself from shooting his mouth off on the possible causes of the Star City fire last week. Even before the firemen had actually started an official investigation, he was already speculating on the possibility of arson because fire broke out on several places and too fast. The way he talked it was as if he was physically present at the very moment the fire happened, but he wasn’t. He even claimed they were at the scene within three minutes! I don’t know if the guy just wanted to accommodate the reporters in front of him or if he wanted to promote the services of the Pasay City fire department. But the last thing an official like him should be doing is speculating, making general statements to the media that is based purely on speculation and not on the results of an actual official investigation.

Fire officials should bear in mind that such statements seriously affect the outcome of insurance claims and coverage. It also casts suspicion on the owners and employees of the affected company and thereby ruins their reputation and social standing. There is a global standard of conduct before and during official investigations: No Comment!!

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