Line them up

It’s not everyday we come out with 100+ pages and it’s not everyday I get the green light to write as long as I want without fear of the editing pen or scissors lurking behind me so, I’m making the most of it. Actually this assignment is really a welcome opportunity considering so much has been happening in the motoring industry in the last month or so.

For starters there’s a new fuel type categorized as “Euro-4” from Petron that we checked out independently and in various makes and models of vehicles. For my part, I tried the new Petron Blaze 100 Euro-4 on our Revo and Corolla that we use as daily drivers. What I immediately noticed is that there was no foul smell in our partially enclosed garage compared to the non-Euro 4 fuel I normally use. The second thing I noticed was that I did not have to downshift as much as I used to particularly when driving up hill in the Laguna–Batangas portions of the SLEX and Star toll. We also calculated an additional 1-km/L for mileage. 

Last July 16, Goodyear Philippines hosted the first ever launch in the region of the latest innovation from Goodyear tires called Assurance Triple Max or ATM. The new tire model was launched in time for the rainy season in the Philippines because one of its distinct features is that it is a good wet weather/wet surface tire that gives better stopping and braking coverage. Based on Goodyear studies, the Assurance Triple Max tire helps vehicles brake by two meters shorter compared to other brands.

Interestingly, the ATM tire is also presented as a high-efficiency tire that helps save fuel, increase mileage to the point that when you buy one set of ATM tires, the fuel savings would be equivalent to the price of three tires.  

Under the guidance of their new Managing Director Ron Castro, Goodyear Philippines has already announced competitive pricing for the new tires, as well as replacement warranties for naturally occurring damage based on the degree of tire usage. In addition, Goodyear Philippines has partnered with the Automobile Association of the Philippines, which will provide coverage for motorists who buy at least two pieces of ATM tires. Part of the coverage would be roadside assistance and towing as well as accident insurance, etc.

 In other developments, Land Rover Philippines launched the next-generation Range Rover and did not fail to impress their loyal followers and owners of previous models. Meanwhile Hyundai Automotive Resources Inc. showed why they are worthy of being called HARI after inviting nearly 40 media practitioners to Siargao Island and billeted them at the high-end Dedon Island Resort. There they let the members of media to test drive the new model Hyundai Sta. Fe in between fishing, surfing and snoozing.

Mitsubishi Motors on the other hand brought local journalists to Thailand and gave them the chance to do a comparative drive of their latest Mirage 4-door versus other Japanese models; meanwhile Toyota Motors Philippines once again raised the bar in terms of new car launch events as they introduced the all-new Vios in rock star fashion at the SMX. Word on the web is that Toyota Motors Phils. is currently hatching a plan to host a race event among celebrities and members of media involving the Tuason Racing School and featuring around 10 Vios units. That should be interesting.

Ford, so far, is the latest in the news for launching their new Ford Fiesta, which continues to be stylish as ever and ready to rumble with their very competitive prices. The new Fiesta certainly looks fresh, practical and offers a couple of engine choices.

On the first of August, the motoring media will once again flock to the Autostrada Motore Showroom to witness Mr. Willie Soong unveil the Maserati Quatroporte. And there you have it, a brief summary of product launches, test drives and motoring events we never have enough time or space to write about.=

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Instead of imposing his will on private car owners who oppose the “expanded” vehicle reduction scheme, it might be wise for the MMDA chairman to list down the many suggestions or alternatives being offered by motorists and try them. That way he can show that he respects public opinion and has the open mind to at least try things out.

For instance, one young lady pleaded with me to “Please, please, just ask chairman Tolentino to just try lining up all his enforcers on EDSA to form a human barricade that will force all buses to stay within their lanes. Then do the same at every U-turn slot where drivers always double or triple up. This simple suggestion will also be a great PR job for the MMDA when the public especially private motorists see that the MMDA is also going tough on the buses. Once the buses are corralled, it will then be quite easy for the MMDA to single out buses using excessively loud air horns and confiscate them for noise pollution.

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Some other suggestions are for the MMDA to have a visible and active presence after 7 pm on EDSA and on other roads such as the C-5. At the moment, the MMDA presence on EDSA particularly in the Pasay City area is intermittent and subject to weather. Whenever it rains, the enforcers are gone and the bus and Jeepney drivers take over control of EDSA-Taft intersection all the way to EDSA-Airport road. All along EDSA, many jams occur when no enforcers are present and drivers can do as they please. From Trinoma to MOA it is now a common experience to encounter a tricycle using EDSA. Are the MMDA enforcers blind? That tricycles actually run on EDSA should tell the MMDA chairman that his people are not doing their jobs!

The entire stretch of C-5, particularly southbound after Kalayaan Ave., is the perfect example of MMDA rules and laws being useless if there are no enforcers. The controversial motorcycle lane on C-5 is useless because there’s no one arresting drivers who refuse to use the motorcycle lane. Instead many of them hug the outer most left lane and compete with truck drivers who should not even be on that lane. But because there are no enforcers, nobody will follow the law. Just like EDSA, tricycles also operate on C-5 with impunity because there are no MMDA enforcers.

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Motorists who often use the C-5 to the service road towards South Super Highway in Taguig, know only too well that one major cause of traffic in the area is because there are no law enforcers to stop “barkers” and jeepney drivers from using the very corner as an illegal jeepney stop. Instead of moving and waiting 30 or 50 meters further down the road, these hooligans park right on the corner forcing other drivers into one tight lane. The place is also especially scary and dangerous at night since there are no lights where commuters/passengers wait to get a ride.

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A very interesting situation that the MMDA and the City of Makati official should study is how to maximize the usefulness of Pasong Tamo Ave. as a through way. This billion-peso stretch of road is not being maximized because two out of four lanes along the Fort Bonifacio wall are blocked and being used as parking lots, store fronts, garbage pile area and repair area for tricycles and other vehicles. The cities of Makati or Taguig could just as easily assign two tow trucks with armed policemen to tow all the illegally parked vehicles and obstructions in an area that is predominantly full of “Illegal settlers” and business establishments. The question is why are the local officials not acting on the problem?

On the other end of Pasong Tamo where it exits into EDSA northbound, Jeepneys do U-turns every fifteen to twenty minutes to bring their passengers towards the Makati Business District. During this rush hour, the constant numbers of jeepneys create traffic jams on both directions. What takes the cake is the presence of a tricycle terminal that also adds to the congestion in the very same area. While all of this is happening everyday, Makati traffic enforcers congregate near the bridge unmindful of the daily congestion being created. Obviously some people are being paid, but the question is whether it’s to do their job or not? 

Still about Pasong Tamo, no one seems to have seriously studied the possibility and practicality of cutting a road and an exit so that motorists can connect to the South Super Highway as well as EDSA southbound. Right now you can only exit northbound. But in order to go south you either drive several kilometers to Pasay road to get back on EDSA. This will require the expertise and go ahead of the DPWH, the road requires going over the PNR railway that is quite common along South Super Highway and an off ramp.  But this very short strip would be useful, affordable and would make Pasong Tamo a lot more useful. It would also be an easily achievable small project with high impact for the DPWH.

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Back to the subject of suggestions, if chairman Tolentino is really serious about removing colorum or illegal buses on EDSA, then all he needs to do is help organize a task force with the LTFRB and the LTO who have the authority but not the law enforcement manpower to fulfill their mandate. In their next meeting, chairman Tolentino should also call the attention of city mayors and their Traffic and Parking Management officers to also arrest jeepney and tricycle drivers who regularly violate the law in their locality.

Sad to say, the City of Makati, which used to enforce their traffic laws on everybody, has become a showcase of law enforcement only for those with capacity to pay or submit to the law. During the time of then Mayor Jojo Binay, everyone obeyed traffic signs and traffic lights because the law was enforced on both the rich and the poor. Nowadays, the people of Mayor Junjun Binay seem to have relaxed the laws to the point that vehicles line-up “waiting” for their passengers or bosses along Buendia Ave.

If Mayor Junjun wants to see for himself, all he has to do is to monitor the jeepneys plying the Bel Air–Washington route. They are notorious for blocking parts of Buendia, beating or ignoring traffic lights and especially for smoke-belching. By the way, the good mayor might want to ask who that team of boys in blue was last Wednesday 1:30 am stopping motorists along EDSA along the Dasmariñas village wall. They looked like the anti-smoke-belching units but at 1:30 in the morning? That’s too scary!

 Contact the author at [email protected].