Motorists assail DPWH, MMDA for busted traffic lights

Motorists are lambasting the Department of Public Work and Highway (DPWH) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the malfunctioning of traffic lights, which is causing monstrous traffic in the metropolis.

Motorists noted that officials of the government agencies assigned to manage the traffic lights are apparently inefficient in their jobs. Thousands of motorists are complaining about the monstrous traffic in Metro Manila’s major and minor thoroughfares, especially during and after heavy rains, when traffic lights break down.

Freddie Galano, chief of the DPWH-Traffic Engineering Center, said malfunctioning of lights in many intersections in Metro Manila is caused by either brownout or busted bulbs.

In an earlier interview, Galano said "if the lights are busted, the MMDA, the agency reresponsible for maintaining them, is supposed to replace the lights."

"But because MMDA uses bulbs with poor and low quality, madalas tuloy mapundi (it’s easily busted)," noted Galano, who stressed "the life span of traffic light bulbs with good quality used to last for more than a year or so."

Galano said another reason that caused traffic lights to break down is the fact that most of the MMDA traffic enforcers override traffic light systems. "Traffic lights in Metro Manila are synchronized with one another and once they touch one post, it would affect other posts in a chain reaction." – Cecille Suerte Felipe