Transportation industry experts said the outgoing and incoming government should act with urgency on the perennial issues of traffic in Metro Manila in anticipation of the full reopening of the economy.
George Barcelon, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said at the group’s general membership meeting recently the traffic situation in Metro Manila and other major urban areas, if unsolved, can derail the country’s recovery.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency estimated losses from traffic could balloon to P5.4 billion a day by 2035 if nothing is done.
“There are a lot of concerns besetting our transportation and logistics industry. These issues need a comprehensive set of measures to curb further problems and avoid more losses to the economy,” Barcelon said.
One solution is to improve mass transportation and decongest the highly populated urban metropolis, according to transportation expert Rene Santiago.
Santiago recommended building 246 kilometers (km) of mass transit lines and 78 km of urban expressways. Further, the completion of pending projects as the Quezon avenue BRT, LRT 1 Extension to Bacoor and LRT 2 East Extension and the addition of trains to the MRT to increase ridership could give a temporary reprieve to the worsening traffic woes.
Long-term would be to manage population size and distribution. He said the private sector can take the lead proactively through programs supporting balik-probinsya new growth centers and accelerating the shift to the 4IR work-style or hybrid work and hybrid school arrangement. These, he explained, would lessen vehicles, at least 250,000 cars, on the roads and one million riders of public transport. In addition, the hybrid school would address shortage in classrooms.
