Traffic

President Duterte claimed he has delivered on all his promises except on EDSA traffic. The first part about delivering on all promises is arguable but he is spot on about EDSA traffic.

The failure of the Duterte administration to make a difference on EDSA traffic is largely because his point man on transportation, Secretary Art Tugade, gave up on it very early in the game.

Sec. Art knew from the start that the challenge was daunting. He also knew it will be how he and his boss will be measured in terms of performance. He threw in the towel anyway and moved his office to Clark.

Before he assumed office, a few of us had meetings with Sec. Art and I was encouraged by his fighting spirit. He agreed that EDSA traffic will have to be top priority.

We agreed he cannot do it alone. He needs other government agencies like MMDA and the PNP HPG to make a noticeable difference. We also agreed he needed emergency powers not to fast track  project procurement but to fix the chaotic bus franchise situation on EDSA.

There are more than 50 owners of bus lines and 120 routes. The bus drivers are on a fixed daily boundary for the right to ply the bus so they fight tooth and nail for passengers. There are also so called “colorum” buses or those illegally operating without a franchise. Hence traffic gridlock!

Sec. Art also knew that many of the operators are influential with local and national officials. Resistance to reform is expected. Thus, the need for emergency power to fix the mess.

But when Sen. Grace Poe was conducting public hearings on the proposal for emergency powers, DOTr couldn’t tell her how they plan to use it. Mostly, they mentioned using such powers to cut procurement procedures.

The proposal got derailed somehow because DOTr itself lost interest. Sec. Art started to focus on long term solutions like the subway and the North and South rail lines. The subway and rail lines are good projects that should have been done decades ago. But what do we do about current EDSA traffic?

Strict enforcement of traffic rules is the obvious doable course of action. But given the fast growth in the number of vehicles on the road, that can only deliver so much relief.

The other obvious solution is to fast track the completion of the Skyway extension project of San Miguel that will connect the North and South Expressways. This elevated “connector” road project is estimated to divert about 50 percent of vehicles using EDSA.

The San Miguel project has moved very slowly during the Aquino administration. It moved a little faster under Duterte but not enough to catch up with the delay so far. What is causing much of the delay are right of way problems.

ROW problems are usually tough. No one wants to lose a house or even an empty lot to a road project. Government has the right of eminent domain or the power to force possession of private property needed for public good after just compensation.

A new law meant to make government possession of needed property easier was passed and funding provided to compensate land owners based on market value. But an administration must have political will to use it.

I understand they still have some right of way problems significant enough to delay project completion. San Miguel has helped DPWH negotiate with some property owners and even paid for the needed property just to expedite everything. It is government’s obligation to provide right of way.

The last time I talked with Ramon Ang, he said they have an internal deadline of end of this year to complete the project. But I understand they had significant delays since then so that April next year may be more like it.

San Miguel and its two contractors, DMCI and EEI are having significant cost overruns because of ROW problems. They often have to demobilize in one area because of a ROW problem and mobilize elsewhere in the alignment so as not to waste time waiting. Each movement costs plenty of money. 

If only his officials on the ground did their work better, the President could have said he has delivered on all his promises including traffic on EDSA.

And it isn’t just EDSA. Indeed, traffic on EDSA is quite tolerable after the morning rush hour until about 3 p.m. It is C-5 that is terrible all hours of the day starting at, believe it or not, 5:30 in the morning to well past 11 p.m.

There is always this long line of cargo trucks from Quezon City to BGC. One wonders what happened to C-6 that Public Works Secretary Mark Villar inaugurated with a lot of publicity. It should have attracted a good number of those trucks based on Villar’s press releases.

According to JICA Philippines chief representative Susumu Ito, “traffic cost is P3.5 billion a day in Metro Manila. If we do nothing, it will become P5.4 billion a day in 2035, but with Build Build Build, it will be reduced to P3 billion a day. With additional projects, it will be reduced to P2.4 billion a day.”

Ito points out “Metro Manila’s population in 2015 is almost 13 million people; Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite (combined), almost 11 million. So Mega Manila, 24 million people. But in 2025, Metro Manila’s (population would be) 16 million, and Mega Manila including Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal and Cavite (would be) 38 million. So Mega Manila will be one of the largest cities in the world.”

President Duterte should put up a task force composed of DPWH, DOJ and OSG officials to facilitate resolution of those ROW problems still delaying that San Miguel connector road project.

The subway is nice but we need immediate relief. It is as simple as that.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco