stupid pedestrians....

[j_avonni]

Another article from a foreigner:

What the Chicken Should Know About Crossing the Road in Manila

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by Roger Starkey

Honking, tire screeching, pedestrians dodging cars as they attempt to navigate non-existent crosswalks and cars, jeepneys, buses, tricycles, motorcycles and motor scooters ignoring all existing traffic laws. The only thing absent from Manila traffic is order. Getting around Manila is often an overwhelming proposition for the city's residents and can be downright unfair to its guests. Surprising to many first time visitors is that, for all the chaos one encounters getting around Manila, perhaps the most difficult thing to accomplish is crossing the street.

Bipedal transportation, in general, is anything but simple in the capital city of the Philippines. A person must learn when to walk on a sidewalk, if one exists, and when to yield the right-of-way on that sidewalk to a car. Another invaluable skill is being able to amble comfortably alongside the roads, mere inches from cars, rather than on sidewalks. These skills are obtained with surprising ease for most. What is not easily procured is a talent for street crossing.

Moving from one side of a street to another, in the Makati section of Manila, is facilitated, and therefore made boring, by the presence of subterranean or overhead pedestrian walkways near many of the busier intersections. Apart from these rare instances of pedestrian awareness, the remainder of the city is, at most times, a pedestrian free-for-all. The game of frogger was, no doubt, modeled after the inventor's own attempts to traverse the streets of Manila. Following are a few tips to assist the Manila newcomer on her or his quest to cross the road.

Minimize the number of street crossings that you will need to achieve during your excursion. It may be wise to make one seemingly unnecessary street crossing in order to reach the side of the street with the fewest intersections. Decreasing the number of intersections increases the possibility of arriving promptly and safely at your destination.

Don't look for pedestrian walk signals. Although a few intersections have them, a walk signal will rarely serve a purpose and will, most likely, never turn green. A green walk signal does not, at any rate, signify that it is safe to attempt a crossing.

Find the traffic control officer. This is a task that can only be accomplished during the morning and afternoon peak traffic periods and, even then, is not easy. If you are able to find one, make good use of the wonderful opportunity that you have been afforded. The officer will usually introduce a bit of decorum to the proceedings.

Don't strike out on your own; follow the locals. Much like a zebra crossing a crocodile infested river, you should take cover in numbers. The safest approach is to wedge yourself into a mass of locals as they negotiate the river of cars. Follow their actions closely and you will reach the other side unharmed.

For a measure of added safety, use the elderly and children as human shields. This may sound inhumane but, in reality, it is the exact opposite. If a driver sees an elderly person or a small child, they are more likely to apply the brakes rather than attempt to nudge the pedestrian along his way. Pedestrian nudging can lead to catastrophes. So, by properly positioning yourself for the crossing, you may be helping to avert a catastrophe and the young lady-that you just placed between yourself and the oncoming traffic-can now look forward to a long and successful life. Don't be surprised, though, if she doesn't turn to thank you, she most likely didn't even recognize your selfless act of humanitarianism.

If forced to perform a solo crossing, know the tricks of the trade. It is very likely that you will be forced to make a street crossing, at some point during your visit, in which you will not be able to rely on the assistance of a traffic control officer or the local population. In these situations, the first thing you should know is that it is not necessary to attempt a complete passage in a single run. The crossing is much more manageable if broken up into chunks. For example, the best approach to crossing a two-way street is to tackle the first half of the road, seek refuge in the middle, and then complete the trip when traffic permits. A lane-by-lane approach can be employed for the traversing of one-way streets.

One should also recognize that a huddle of cars clogging an intersection may be an annoyance to the drivers but it is an opportunity for pedestrians. All regard for traffic signals should be put aside, just as the drivers have done, and a crossing should be immediately undertaken. Weaving your way through static traffic is much easier than nudging your way through a crawling wave of cars.

Manila has many long streets. Therefore, walking all the way to an intersection to accomplish a street crossing is oft times impractical. Besides, performing a non-intersection crossing is often preferable to the intersection cross because it is only necessary to dodge traffic from one road rather than two. However, the higher speed of travel can make this type of crossing a little trickier.

The same principles of the intersection crossing should be applied to the mid-street crossing. There is, however, one additional trick that can help ensure safe passage. Upon entering the road, place your right arm at a forty-five degree angle from the pavement, turn your arm until your elbow and open palm are facing oncoming traffic and, finally, position your head so that you do not make eye contact with the drivers. The position of your hand and arm will indicate to the automobile conductors that you are requesting them to avoid hitting you and the position of your eyes will warn them that you are unable to see them and, therefore, jump out of the way of their vehicle if they choose not comply with your request for safe passage. Even a Manila driver won't hit a defenseless person.

Armed with this knowledge, any able-bodied person, or chicken, should be able to accomplish one of the most difficult tasks in Manila, crossing the street. Now, go forth and cross.

[mbeige]

"The idea of cooperation is totally alien to driving in the Philippines."

It's a matter of stringent rules in force at a time for a certain areas rather than the above, i think.- Kasi ang pinoy kapag nasa ibang bansa ay obedient naman.

One example sa sarili nating lugar ay ang SUBIC. Kapag nagawi ka dito, makikita mo na ang pinoy ay disiplinado rin naman pala, kasi nakasanayan na mula pa ng maging base ito ng US. Makikita mo dito mga sasakyan humihinto sa markings kahit walang stop light or taong tumatawid, which is a good example para sa lahat to keep our roads safe kahit nasaan ka mang lugar.

Unfortunately, that's not always true. Some people, sa kinasanayan nilang manners of driving, just drive through the stop signs. Ayun, huli.

That statement was only meant to indicate that if you would see a Pinoy driver sa Pilipinas, they'd more or less be driving for themselves. Most of the time you won't see them cooperate with other motorists to help make things easier. I mean just look at the Good Squad HQ forum.

[nugundam93]

hahahahaaha nice article!

[dfa172001]

nakupo! sa amin nga saTondo, mas matindi, ang daming pedicab, bukod sa marami pang tao sa gitna ng daan, ang bilang nga ng pedicab, siguro mga 5000. dito lang yun sa isang portion ng tondo, makikita mo nga wala silang mga sakay,ikotl ang ng ikot,mga nasa gitna yan, mahirap patabihin, hindi na sila nareregulate ng local govt. bukod pa dyan, ang daming hukay,hukay ng hukay tapos hindi ibinabalik, mga perwisyo, kahit nga si Schumacer dalin mo sa amin, di uubra yung galing nya.

[numbah5]

when i went to japan last year, pag naglalakad ka sa street mismo hindi sa sidewalk, huhulihin ka at mumultahin... i think the fine is equivalent P1000

[quiksie]

sa commonwealth sinisira nila ang steel barriers na nilagay ng mga mmda sa gitna para makatawid sila sa kabilang side. Meron naman mga overpass para daanan. Ang labo ng mga tumatawid dun ayaw nila magisip. They would sacrifice convinience for safety

[weremanok]

sa commonwealth sinisira nila ang steel barriers na nilagay ng mga mmda sa gitna para makatawid sila sa kabilang side. Meron naman mga overpass para daanan. Ang labo ng mga tumatawid dun ayaw nila magisip. They would sacrifice convinience for safety

dapat po ata "sacrifice safety for convenience"

ganyan din po sa c5. lalagyan ng steel barriers tapos mga after 1 week butas na.

[coiter]

sa commonwealth sinisira nila ang steel barriers na nilagay ng mga mmda sa gitna para makatawid sila sa kabilang side. Meron naman mga overpass para daanan. Ang labo ng mga tumatawid dun ayaw nila magisip. They would sacrifice convinience for safety

problema din kasi e hindi rin "safe" ang mga overpass. pugad ng mga holdupper yun paggabi or even in daylight pagwalang tao. kaya nakikipagsapalaran na lang sila sa kalye. mas madali sigurong iwasan ang kotse kesa holdupper sa overpass.

[NazQ]

one additional trick that can help ensure safe passage. Upon entering the road, place your right arm at a forty-five degree angle from the pavement, turn your arm until your elbow and open palm are facing oncoming traffic and, finally, position your head so that you do not make eye contact with the drivers. The position of your hand and arm will indicate to the automobile conductors that you are requesting them to avoid hitting you and the position of your eyes will warn them that you are unable to see them and, therefore, jump out of the way of their vehicle if they choose not comply with your request for safe passage. Even a Manila driver won't hit a defenseless person.

wahahaha!! natawa ako dito :bwahaha:

[badsekktor]

problema din kasi e hindi rin "safe" ang mga overpass. pugad ng mga holdupper yun paggabi or even in daylight pagwalang tao. kaya nakikipagsapalaran na lang sila sa kalye. mas madali sigurong iwasan ang kotse kesa holdupper sa overpass.

naalala ko yun tropa ko nung college, dun sila nakatira sa may andoks malapit sa sm west. lagi kinukwento nun yun mga nahoholdap sa may overpass. pati yun tito nya nadali dun. nakatakbo pa papauwi sa kanila kahit labas na bituka pero nadedo din...

[quiksie]

baliktad pala hehe

[papao]

arghhh just got home and may nabunggo ako..luckily di grabe at di siya namatay, stupid stupid pedestrian! hindi tumitingin kung naka go ba un stoplight.. at nakabike pa siya. from the other side of the street biglang tumawid ng di man lang lumilingon, so nagbrake na ako and binusinahan ko siya para alam nya na may padating na sasakyan, mga 40-60km/h takbo ko nun.. naiwasan ko na sya, then bigla ba naman nagswerve siya ulit sa gitna ng daan after nya tumawid, hindi man lang hinintay na malampasan ko siya!!! ayun sapul buti ng time na un nakatapak pa rin ako sa brakes nun.. pero natulak pa sya ng bike nya kasi di pa nagfufulstop un kotse ko nun ng nabangga ko un bike nya..pati un mga tao dun nagulat dun sa ginawa ng bata..at thankful na din ako di ako nakapatay ng tao.tinatanong ko sya kung gusto nya dalhin sa hospital ayaw naman.. buti gasgas lang meron sya sa paa...hay buhay....!!!! sana kasi marunong tumingin un mga tao bago tumawid ng daan..to think halos katapat nya naman un stoplyt at tumingin muna siya bago tumawid

pasensya na kung magulo at medyo windang pa ako.

[BoEinG_747]

mabuti wala gaano sugat ang bata ...saan place nga pala iyan nagyari ,brod?

[claRkEnt]

sorry to hear that sir!

relak-relak muna tayo....

[baludoy]

i feel for you bro. ganyan din dito sa las pinas ang karamihan ng mga pedestrians, ang ganda-ganda na ng elevated walkway (shaded, malinis, at de-escalator pa) at safe na ( may tanod na naka-assign doon kapag peak hours of the day ) tapos sa ilalim pa mismo ng walkway tumatawid ng kalsada. ayaw gamitin ng mga ulupong maski kinakaltas sa kanila ang pag-maintain ng mga 'to..'ka-badtrip talaga

[prysm_1]

given these type of situation here in the philippines. anybody can offer some safety tips for newbie drivers like me?

[papao]

sa may intersection dun sa ilalim ng bridge sa may nagtahan. un may pa aurora blvd, pa malacanang. diba never naman nagsasabay un flow ng sasakyan dun except lang un ang pag nag go e un pa aurora and pa malacanang(gets?) kasi un pag galing nagtahan or un sa kabilang side, pag stop sa kabila go naman dun sa kabilang side.. bale green un stoplight sa daan ko, un pinanggalingan ng nagbibike nakastop sguro...so from the other side nagbike sya padirediretso ng hindi tumitingin sa daan.. naiwasan ko na nga siya bigla pa nagswerve sa gitna ng daan...

[papao]

i feel for you bro. ganyan din dito sa las pinas ang karamihan ng mga pedestrians, ang ganda-ganda na ng elevated walkway (shaded, malinis, at de-escalator pa) at safe na ( may tanod na naka-assign doon kapag peak hours of the day ) tapos sa ilalim pa mismo ng walkway tumatawid ng kalsada. ayaw gamitin ng mga ulupong maski kinakaltas sa kanila ang pag-maintain ng mga 'to..'ka-badtrip talaga

sa quezon ave, sa may sto domingo church..ganito pa din un mga tao..asa taas na nila un overpass ayaw pa gamitin..pati tayo idadamay sa mga katangahan/katamaran nila..

[brotherjhon]

grabe ang galing....

[numbah5]

brod papao parehas na rin tayo.... yung sa akin patay talaga siya kung kaskasero mode ako nun, fortuner pa naman dala ko nung araw na yun... pasalamat siya at namatayan na ako ng kaklase dahil sa pagiging kaskasero niya... tumino na ako since his death and parati na ako defensive driving.... pero kahit defensive driving pa rin ikaw pa peperwisyohin ng mga f**k**g pedestrians na yan... Hay buhay talaga....