Time to say "it's over" to Cebu flyovers

 (FIRST PART)

They are all over on Facebook groups and fanpages and news pages as well. But I didn’t get to take peak on the details of their dissension over the proposed construction of additional flyovers in Cebu city. Now that I know, I must say that many of the points raised by the Stop Cebu Flyovers Movement do not only make a lot of sense, they should have been addressed and done yesterday!

In addition to what has been suggested by the movement, I believe we have to also get down to the most fundamental issues of traffic and brood over on what really causes it. And I would like to give my two cents from the view of a pedestrian, driver and commuter. First, traffic is indisputably an issue of volume. The more vehicles on the road the likelihood the traffic snarl. Thus, serious attempts must also be made to reduce the volume of automobiles not only on our thoroughfares but in our transport system. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, population and high economic activity do contribute to the proliferation of vehicles but it doesn’t mean it is impossible. For example, most countries in the EU have lesser cars than in the Philippines even if the average citizen there can actually afford to have more than one. It surprises me that since the introduction of the automobile in the country, those that can afford become instant car collectors!

Another reason why there are fewer cars in most EU countries is because people have to pay a lot in government taxes every year for owning a car. The more cars you own, the more taxes you pay plus, you get to pay more, too, when your car gets older. And that’s not only it, next year and in the coming years, Europe will be introducing a “green tax” for cars by checking on a car’s mileage. To make sure that owners don’t cheat on their odometers, a GPS tracker logs the mileage of the car whenever it’s out in the open. We can actually come up with a mileage taxation system using security seals fixed on the odometer for a start — something that the government should spend time studying on than spend a lot on flyovers that encourage vehicular traffic.

While a car is a necessity here in the Philippines, owning more than two cars per person should be considered a luxury and should be taxed. And if I may add, parents should stop giving cars for a present to their teenaged children. What could be any better a present than reshaping their children’s values of what harm cars can do to the environment. What could be more meaningful for rich kids to experience being a commuter themselves and be able to learn what time management is from students who cannot even buy the cheapest skateboard but still arrive in school on time.

Part of the reason why there are only few cars in many EU member states is their good railway system. Take for example Holland. From Rotterdam to Schipol which is about 65 kilometers, took me more or less 30 minutes by train. They also have trams all over the place to take you to the suburbs. We don’t have them, of course, but I think the lesson here is that their government is focused on the efficiency of their existing transport system which helps dampen the impulse of buying a car.  

In other words, we have to begin solving the traffic equation by putting our faith on our transport system first. I am one of those who think that our mass transport is a display of ingenuity of the Filipinos — the jeepney, the tricyle, the habal habal and etc. They show our ability to adapt and make ordinary things extraordinarily useful. But what makes them a poor alternative to private cars is that they are running at turtle’s pace. But suppose you live in Labangon and then a jeepney gets you to Ayala in 20 minutes so you can watch a good movie, would you still drive your car?  

Our public transport is slow not because we have newbies on the wheel but because our road network was not configured to address the future volume of vehicles. But that’s water under the bridge — we have to make do with what we have because we can always innovate. Since our roads are shared by both public and private vehicles, we may study “road segregation” in Cebu. If waste segregation has worked indoors, road segregation could work outdoors. The idea is to dedicate a lane for private vehicles and another lane for PUJs just like in Manila.

Another thought that comes out is what I call “demo gapping.” (to be continued.)

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