Buses are the culprits
The most favorite topic nowadays is the desperate state of traffic in the metropolis. As the subject matter comes up in many conversations several conjectures and solutions are being offered, some by people who are not normally opinionated but are forced to share their two cents’ worth in the hope of offering some succor to this despicable daily way of life while traveling in the roads of the metro.
Being a motoring journalist and in the midst of all these, I’ve been often asked for my take on the situation. In most instances I would always try to turn the conversation around and solicit their own observations and possible solutions, which to me is more important than mine. In the process, the most common denominator as the greatest cause for our traffic woes is the presence of too many buses plying our roads in most part of the day. And the most common solution offered is to get rid of many of them. It is the common belief that the thing to do is for the government to initiate consortiums or mergers and have a professional and a well-rationalized running and management of the public bus transport system.
It is also of the common opinion that buses should be given a single lane from which they are allowed to stay and not allowed to go out from. It’s the weaving in and out of their presently assigned yellow lane that cause most of the scraping accidents with other vehicles and the constant disruption of traffic flow.
Also, buses should be released in the numbers that would be equitable to the number of bus commuters present. That would mean less buses during non-peak hours where there are less of them needed on the road thus preventing the unnecessary consumption of fuel and spewing of toxic emissions. This could also greatly lessen the unsafe maneuvering of bus drivers just to get to a single passenger that’s being contested to have by several buses. Of course this can only be achieved by having a single management on top of all buses running the routes.
This is where the idea of using ‘road trains’ can be most appropriate. Conceived by the DOST (Department of Science & Technology) as the best alternative to single buses to provide public transport, the ‘road train’ is composed of 5 coaches run by a single hybrid engine (less fuel consumption and less emissions) that can accommodate up to 280 passengers at any given time.
Word has it that the DOTC (Department of Transportation & Communication) is taking a hard look at the ‘road train’ prospect and this could be the most awaited “ light at the end of this long tunnel of agony” for our commuters especially if this would be implemented on EDSA, where these half-filled or half-empty buses are most of the time seen plying their routes especially during non-peak hours.
I guess reducing the number of buses that run in EDSA (a real and serious implementation of the ban on colorums would help a lot) is the first bold but effective step in lessening traffic congestion in the metropolis. And having the ‘road trains’ (with a designated lane as well as stops) instead would greatly improve the unnerving daily traffic scenario.
By the way, those who travel along EDSA daily are the ones who share the common opinion of having too many buses as one of the main causes of the present horrific traffic situation in the metro.
A mid size luxury sedan in the offing
Volkswagen Philippines is poised to bring to our shores the 2015 European Car of the Year—the 8th generation Volkswagen Passat.
Coming straight from the home of Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, Germany to Volkswagen Philippines showroom anytime very soon, the Passat is to be competitively priced that range from P2.3 to P2.8 million depending on the variant.
With a remarkable power output of 220 PS, the Passat’s 2.0litre TSI engine is matted to a 6-speed dual-clutch DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) transmission.
The Volkswagen Passat is said to make for an ideal executive car with LED headlights, 18” alloy wheels, 14-way electric seats and a lot more, which you can see and experience yourself as soon as it hits the market very soon—something to indeed watch out for.
Honda Philippines’ upswing continues
Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) sold a total of 10,467 automobiles from January 2015 to the present, which impressively translates to a 48 per cent increase from the number they sold during the same period last year.
The top contributor to this notable sales performance is the best-selling New Honda City since its launch in 2014.
The other contributors include market changers like the all-new Mobilio and the all-new HR-V.
Mr. Toshio Kuwahara, the very aggressive HCPI president and general manager proudly states, “HCPI’s aggressive line-up expansion enabled us to cater to the needs of the Filipino customer aside from increasing our market presence.”
Our good friend Kuwahara san must really be on the groove with all these remarkable achievements.
Visual treat for all motoring and automobile buffs
The TV show Motoring Today is now on its 29th year of broadcast, which makes it the longest-running motoring program on Philippine television. Every week it dishes out news updates on the country’s transportation and traffic management, it has tips on road safety and vehicle maintenance, it touches on motor sports by way of highlights of international events like Formula One, WRC and Moto GP, it discusses topics of vital concern to the general motoring public and performs public service by referring road problems to the proper government agencies for immediate solution. It is broadcast every Sunday at 4 o’clock in the afternoon on Solar Sports, which airs simultaneously on the Sky and Destiny Cable Networks as well as on Cignal. Recently its online counterpart () was launched so that those who miss any of its past episodes can easily access it anytime of the day.
Another regular visual treat for automobile enthusiasts is Auto Focus, the premier auto TV news and features TV magazine. It airs every Thursday, at 10 o’clock in the evening also on Solar Sports.
It’s a 60-minute weekly TV show exclusive to the automobile and its industry, which had its first broadcast in 1998 serving the local auto industry for the past 17 years by featuring the latest auto industry news and developments that include features of the latest automobile models released in the market, car launches, test drives and other industry events.
Auto Focus likewise has its internet counterpart (), which has the distinction of being “the first all video auto website” in the country. It’s also a click away from seeing all past episodes and features of the show.
Happy Motoring!!!
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