MANILA, Philippines - It’s already a given that traffic is horrendous in the metro, particularly during rush hour when everybody is eager to get home quick after a long day from school or work. Getting traffic updates from your fave TV or radio station before hitting the road may not always spare you from ending up in the middle of a jam. Thus, a motorist or a commuter is still left to thinking: “Should I stay or should I go?”
In its aim to resolve this everyday woe, TV5’s news and information arm News5, in partnership with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), recently launched the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator, a state-of-the-art digitized traffic information system, which is accessible to any gadget like the iPad, laptop and cellphone for the latest traffic update wherever you are via the Internet.
Luchi Cruz-Valdez, TV5 head of News and Information, announced that the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator will prove beneficial to everyone.
“TV5 is committed to exploring all possible venues to reach out to every Filipino,” Luchi said. “News5 has introduced a new brand of broadcast journalism that goes beyond news reporting and delivers action. Meaning, we make a follow through in every story and try our best to resolve problems and to respond to people’s calls for help for this is what public service is all about. Now, we are introducing yet another TV5 endeavor — the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator — that will change the way Filipinos deal with their day-to-day lives especially when it comes to going out on the streets.”
The Traffic Navigator project was developed under the public-private partnership between the MMDA and News5. It aims to provide people with real-time traffic information on the routes they plan to take. TV5’s online news portal, InterAksyon.com powers up the site that can be accessed via www.interaksyon.com or mmdatraffic.interaksyon.com. Online users can also share traffic information via Twitter or Facebook by clicking on the icon.
Roby Alampay, editor-in-chief of interaksyon.com, proudly shared that the Traffic Navigator guarantees a smooth, traffic-free travel in the metro as traffic conditions are indicated with a color-coded guide: Red means heavy; green, light; yellow, moderate.
“This (project) was born through a meeting of the minds. MMDA accurately provides traffic situations in the metro that are written on white boards and the database team is in charge of updating it every 15 minutes. I told the MMDA people ‘sayang naman kung nasa white board lang, hindi ba pwede i-digitize yan?,’” Roby related.
Hence, TV5 and the MMDA headed by lawyer Francis Tolentino came up with the idea of giving traffic information in a graphically logical and easy to understand format online. Initially, the Traffic Navigator covers six major roads: EDSA, C5, Quezon Ave., España, Roxas Blvd. and SLEX.
“We are adding Ortigas Avenue, Commonwealth Ave., Marcos Highway soon,” Roby revealed.
Asked if the Traffic Navigator can be accessed 24/7, lawyer Yves Gonzales, supervising consultant in the traffic discipline office-MMDA, replied, “Yes, we are updating it every five minutes during rush hour, every 15 minutes if traffic is light to moderate and, well, every 17 minutes during the wee hours.”
That means the Traffic Navigator works even at 1:30 a.m. and beyond.
“The public can now decide where to pass to get to a certain place, avoiding areas where traffic is heavily congested,” Tolentino said.