What's the Big Picture and Other questions we should ask before building another road

**tomboy** · January 17th, 2012 09:37 AM

'What's the Big Picture?' and Other questions we should ask before building another road - InterAksyon.com

Illustration by Paulo Alcazaren

'What's the Big Picture?' and Other questions we should ask before building another road

Two agencies have announced road projects that aim to ease traffic congestion on EDSA:

The MMDA unveiled a plan for a "Skybridge" that will stretch for 8.3 kilometers over a network of esteros. It will cost P10 billion.

The DPWH proposed building an "elevated EDSA" that will be 22 kilometers long. It will be built on top of the existing EDSA (above the MRT). Elevated EDSA will cost P50 billion.

But traffic congestion is just a symptom. The real problem we need to solve is "How do we make it easier to get around Metro Manila?"

Here are a few more important questions we should all ask about these proposed roads.

1. Who will benefit the most from using the proposed road?

Eight out of 10 people who live in Metro Manila take public transportation. Will the new road benefit them? Or will it serve the needs of the few people who own and drive cars?

2. Will it connect people to where they need to go?

Makati is still the largest center of employment in Metro Manila. Yet newer hubs of employment—such as Bonifacio Global City, Eastwood, and the Mall of Asia—are also growing fast. Will the proposed road also serve the people going to these hubs?

On the other hand, three out of every four people on the road are not on their way to work. They are going to schools, shops, hospitals, and other places. Will the new road serve their needs, too?

3. How will the route of the proposed road affect the existing road network?

Elevated highways will need off ramps and on ramps. If the connections of the new road to the existing network are not planned well, the ramps will generate traffic jams of their own. They may clog roads that work well now but will be flooded by new traffic trying to get to the ramps.

4. What are we gaining and losing from the proposed road?

The MMDA proposes building the Skybridge over esteros or creeks. Dredging the esteros is part of the project; this could be beneficial to the city drainage. But if dredging is not done well, it could block the flow of water and lead to flooding.

Our esteros may not seem like much now. But they were once part of a vibrant river network. Reviving them could ease flooding and improve the ecology of the Pasig River, the Laguna Lake, and the Manila Bay. Will the Skybridge limit our future options for reviving the esteros?

5. What's the big picture?

We should ask, “How will the new road fit into a long-term vision for Metro Manila?” Will it put our megacity on the path to a more sustainable future? Will it encourage more dependence on fossil fuels? Or will it encourage more sustainable forms of transportation like walking and biking?

It is easy to look for silver bullets for the problem of traffic congestion. But we can’t afford to sacrifice the future for short-term gains.

We need to ask tough questions now before building another road. And we need to make sure we are guided by a long-term vision for our megacity.

One more question:

Whose job is it to set the vision for Metro Manila? Take the poll below and share your thoughts with us.

"If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there." Lewis Carroll, English author and mathematician, could have been writing about Metropolitan Manila. Our megacity is a hodgepodge of 17 cities and municipalities, each with its own set of laws.

But someone has to take the lead for setting the vision for Metro Manila. Simply put, such a vision statement will answer the questions, Where is Metro Manila going? What will our megacity be like in the future?

*******
Benjamin de la Peña is the Associate Director for Urban Development at the Rockefeller Foundation. He may be contacted at bdelapena.online*gmail.com. The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the foundation.

Dinna Louise C. Dayao is a freelance writer and editor. She may be reached at dinnadayao*gmail.com.

**tomboy** · January 17th, 2012 09:46 AM

**uls** · January 17th, 2012 12:20 PM

^^

so ano talaga point ng writer?

ayaw pa sabihin derecho eh

gusto ng writer gumamit ng public transport lahat ng tao (or use bicycles or walk)

he says private car ownership causes traffic

building new roads doesnt reduce traffic coz the number of cars keep increasing

hey dream on. people will not give up their cars and use public transport

the reason why people buy cars in the first place is to avoid using public transport

**uls** · January 17th, 2012 12:46 PM

5. What's the big picture?

We should ask, “How will the new road fit into a long-term vision for Metro Manila?” Will it put our megacity on the path to a more sustainable future? Will it encourage more dependence on fossil fuels? Or will it encourage more sustainable forms of transportation like walking and biking?

the writer is a treehugger

**roninblade** · January 17th, 2012 01:19 PM

it really peeves me when people put walking and biking as valid forms of public transport in the heat and humidity of Metro Manila.

i personally don't have any problem with public transportation as long as you get to your destination without being drenched in sweat and stinking like you haven't had a bath in 2 days.

private cars don't cause traffic on regular days, buses and jeeps do that most of the time. retire the jeeps, regulate the buses, build new new rail lines and improve the current lines.

**robot.sonic** · January 17th, 2012 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by uls

^^
the reason why people buy cars in the first place is to avoid using public transport

gawin nilang komportable ang public transpo at iiwanan ko ang oto ko sa garahe.

**tomboy** · January 17th, 2012 02:25 PM

In singapore and dubai na mas mainit kaysa philippines madami nagbibike to work doon. They have shower room sa work. Dito sa manila maglalagay offices nyo ng shower area much better.

Ako nagbibike around greenhills, araneta avenue and erodriguez.

Next time try ko hanggang tiendesitas na. Pero pag-aaralan ko pa kung saan mas less accident na daan dahil ibang klase mga bus, jeep, taxi and some private car owners magdrive. Pero hindi yan naging hadlang para hindi ako magbike.

Sa current public transport ayaw ko talaga sumakay dahil magulang si taxi driver, mabantot mga katabi sa jeep at bus at ang tagal pa umandar dahil nag-aantay pa ng pasahero. So ako na lang maging driver pero sa bike.

**niky** · January 17th, 2012 04:55 PM

If even you can't take public transport, what about everyone else?

I used to commute every day. I even walked when I studied in UPD... and sometimes walked to UPM when I studied there. I used to walk several kilometers a day to and from class.

On rainy days, it's impossible to walk or bike through most of Manila. In fact, it's almost impossible to walk in many places in Manila... there is no contiguous sidewalk at EDSA or Commonwealth and on many smaller streets. It's illegal to bike on many major thoroughfares, too. I would personally love to bike wherever I have to go, but it's difficult to secure a bike and there are places where you simply can't go.

Increased public transport is not really a solution. Our roads are already so oversaturated during off-hours that many jeeps and buses don't hold any more passengers than many private vehicles.

Targeted public transport would help. But also targeted development. As long as everyone wants to go to Makati, traffic will still be an uncontrollable snarl. What we want is to convince people to go elsewhere and live elsewhere. Encourage more commercial development out where roads are uncluttered, rent is cheaper and where workers can afford to live, instead of having workers live out in the sticks for low rent and commute twenty kilometers to work every morning.

And once you have developments outside Manila... ones with planned roads and HPV lanes, then you will have more people on bikes and on foot.

But right now, Manila is just a mess. And it's not because of the "selfish" people who use their cars more... but simply because there are just too many people squashed into too little space.

**chua_riwap** · January 17th, 2012 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by tomboy

In singapore and dubai na mas mainit kaysa philippines madami nagbibike to work doon. They have shower room sa work. Dito sa manila maglalagay offices nyo ng shower area much better.

singapore & dubai is less polluted than manila.

you can just imagine if you would bike from QC & then office mo sa makati.
sagap mo na lahat ng usok ng bus & the jeepneys.
& besides, wala namang offices sa atin na may showers & anong offices ang magpo provide nito for their employees.

**uls** · January 17th, 2012 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by tomboy

In singapore and dubai na mas mainit kaysa philippines madami nagbibike to work doon. They have shower room sa work. Dito sa manila maglalagay offices nyo ng shower area much better.

Ako nagbibike around greenhills, araneta avenue and erodriguez.

Next time try ko hanggang tiendesitas na. Pero pag-aaralan ko pa kung saan mas less accident na daan dahil ibang klase mga bus, jeep, taxi and some private car owners magdrive. Pero hindi yan naging hadlang para hindi ako magbike.

Sa current public transport ayaw ko talaga sumakay dahil magulang si taxi driver, mabantot mga katabi sa jeep at bus at ang tagal pa umandar dahil nag-aantay pa ng pasahero. So ako na lang maging driver pero sa bike.

kaya pala pinost mo yung article

kasi nag b-bike ka