P1.5 T lost to traffic jams in 10 years – study

MANILA, Philippines - Ten years of traffic jams in Metro Manila have cost motorists and workers some P1.513 trillion, according to a paper presented by the National Center for Transportation Studies (NCTS).

The paper, presented by Jose Regin Regidor at the University of the Philippines’ College of Engineering Professorial Chair Colloquium last year, factored in fuel costs and potential man-hours lost in traffic, especially during the rainy season.

According to the paper, which is based on a 2000 NCTS study on traffic congestion, fuel costs while stuck in traffic add up to P4.212 billion a year, while time wasted was computed at an equivalent of P137.519 billion.

The paper proposed that to minimize the negative effects of traffic congestion, the government should invest more on mass transport infrastructure using private-public partnerships.

“While total reduction of congestion would be impossible, strong efforts to improve transportation infrastructure for Metro Manila, including much delayed mass transport systems, would surely translate into benefits,” the paper said.

It said such benefits would include increased productivity and a healthier metropolitan population.

It stressed that investing in transportation infrastructure is necessary to reduce congestion and the costs associated with traffic jams.

The continued procrastination over projects that should have been implemented years ago would only lead to more losses in productivity, it added.

The government should aggressively pursue ways to implement such projects that would significantly reduce congestion, the paper said.