Common sense anti-traffic measures

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has observed this lately, but the traffic from mid-morning till just before rush hour in the late afternoon has gotten so bad — particularly on the southbound lane of EDSA, that it actually rivals the agonizing crawl that you normally experience during actual rush hour.

Sure, it’s summer vacation and school’s out so more people are on the road in the middle of the day. But it doesn’t take an eagle eye to spot the huge numbers of buses squeezing themselves into the bus lane — and often outside the bus lane as well — at the expense of all other motorists.

So what’s the big deal, you ask? Well, look inside the buses and you’ll see less than ten people riding inside each of them. And the crazy thing is, as soon as you drive past this seemingly never-ending wall of noise- and air-polluting buses driven by some of society’s most undisciplined and reckless drivers, you can actually drive reasonably briskly (say, 80-90 kph).

I see this all the time along EDSA just after the long Timog/GMA flyover and just before the Aurora Blvd. underpass. Traffic is brought to a standstill by the sheer number of buses converging into the bus lane perpendicular to New York Ave in Cubao. When you manage to drive past that bottleneck, you can actually hit 100 kph going into the Aurora underpass if you want to. Which can be actually tempting considering you’ve just spent the last ten to fifteen minutes crawling at less than 5 kph.

Now I wonder what kind of business sense it takes to run so many buses day in and day out at less than 20 percent of its capacity for the better part of the day. But I guess the bus companies are reluctant to garage their buses for fear that other companies will take advantage of their absence. But haven’t they heard of the law of diminishing returns? Their buses are on the road, all right, but are they even breaking even? But, in the end, it’s really none of my business.

What is our business is the cost to the public in general. We’ve all heard about the hundreds of millions of pesos lost to downtime due to traffic. And what about the excessive consumption of fuels due to this whole time-wasting exercise? Isn’t the government cash-strapped as it is? Isn’t this country in dire need to cut expenses on expensive imported oil?

I remember the MMDA ordering buses some time last year to have scheduled deployment from their terminals to ensure no long lines of empty buses. Whatever happened to that scheme? That one made sense but has ningas cogon reared its ugly had again? If anything, the situation is much worse. And has the bus association done anything about it? From the looks of it, it’s every bus company (and bus driver) for himself. It’s, "Just get out there, honk your horns, load as many passengers as you can and to hell with all the other people and vehicles around your bus." Anarchy, in other words.

And where are the traffic enforcers and authorities? Going after the hapless commuters with a wet rag, dammit! Hellooo! Which is easier: to go after tens of thousands of commuters and pedestrians individually with a wet rag or to go after buses who actually stop and pick up these commuters in the middle of the road? Why is the MMDA so keen on bullying the common tao when they seem so afraid and intimidated by big bus companies? You have your enforcers. You have your high-tech cameras and new-fangled No-Contact apprehension system. Why is it so easy to say that slapping people with a wet rag is constitutional when you can’t apply the same justice to a big company? How? Hit them where it hurts! How about a P10,000 fine for obstruction of traffic? Outrageous? But it’s always been the MMDA who says (and millions, including me, will agree) that desperate times call for desperate measures — whether you talk of obedience to traffic rules or stomping out of wholesale graft and corruption. Besides, last I heard, the government is desperate to increase their revenues. I’m sure the bus companies will be more than happy to pay up for the privilege of breaking almost every traffic law in existence — which they are proficient at.

They’ve done it in Singapore. They’ve done it in Malaysia. They’re doing it in Thailand. I’m not saying these countries are perfect (heck, corruption can be found in the most developed nations up to now). All I’m saying is, the MMDA doesn’t seem to know how to wield its power.

Just take a look at those ridiculous pink fences. First they have bus lanes with painted yellow stripes. Obviously, this failed to control the buses. So now they use pink fences to literally keep the buses in line. And now we’ve got pink fences falling on cars. Why? Because some crazy bus driver sideswiped them! Incredible! And what have the pink fences achieved? Worsen the traffic and make some side roads and establishments inaccessible, that’s what — never mind the eyesore that they create. All because they can’t discipline those damned bus drivers! Imagine, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people suffer because of the lack of discipline of a few hundred drivers. Whatever happened to the greater good for the greater number?

And while I’m at it — and lest you think I only blame buses — how about those huge roving billboards that crawl through EDSA at any time of day. We’re smack dab in the middle of a crackdown on the number of billboards plastering our metropolis (high time, I might add) and here comes these billboards-on-trucks squeezing their way through our already congested highways. I’ve tailed these trucks and they’re guaranteed to not drive past 50 kph (to maximize exposure to the products they’re hawking) even when there is zero traffic. Which means they’re nothing more than rolling roadblocks to the rest of us who want to go from point A to point B in minimal time.

To our friends at the MMDA, I know you have a monumental job to do and it’s something that cannot be achieved overnight. Yet you’ve shown your teeth to hapless sidewalk vendors by dousing their wares with kerosene. And now you’re doing the same to commuters with your wet rag campaign. How about showing those infamous teeth to the unruly bus companies for a change? Without making the rest of society suffer at the same time.

Last week’s Backseat Driver column on road rule ignorance drew varied reactions, some positive, others exasperated. Here are some of them…

To Mr. Dong Magsajo: Great article today. I think you hit a spot (Got me!). Let’s hope it got to a few more. A little at a time, this country can change. — 09178371811 (Hopefully, hopefully…)

Even if we motorists do abide by our laws and rules, the pedestrians themselves don’t abide by them. — 09173283488 (Which is why we ALL ought to learn the rules that govern our roads…)

If those in charge can discipline jeepney drivers, 50% of the traffic problem is solved. — 09178531454 (Agreed. The other 50% is on us, the private motorists and pedestrians…)

Have you ever seen a tricycle driver get apprehended? No? Me neither. Do you think they are exempted from traffic rules? — 09177942325 (Hey, come to think of it…)

Then, of course, we’ll still have other backseat drivers sending in their varied comments on "experiments" like the U-turn Scheme and the pink fences.

Suggestion: Eliminate crossing where there is an over- or underpass, including left turns. — 09176472893

Tricycle drivers leisurely use National highways like these were barrio roads, endangering everyone including their passengers. — 09178459239

The MMDA should restrict the ABC Mall in Guadalupe, Makati from using its space along EDSA for parking since it causes traffic. — 09164167017

The new pink fence along EDSA approaching the ramp towards La Salle Green Hills is too narrow, allowing only one car at a time to pass. — 09175408329

Thought the U-turn Scheme was just an experiment. Why doesn’t the MMDA dismantle these when they’re not working and pose dangers to pedestrians? — 09209082967

Appeal to the MMDA: Please remove the useless pink fences at EDSA as they have not helped ease traffic at all. — 09173271732

Why are taxis driving around with all of their windows covered? These are accidents waiting to happen. — 09178342904

Speak out, be heard and keep those text messages coming in. To say your piece and become a "Backseat Driver", text PHILSTAR<space>FB<space>MOTORING<space>YOUR MESSAGE and send to 2333 if you’re a Globe or Touch Mobile subscriber or 334 if you’re a Smart or Talk ’n Text subscriber.