Whatever Happened To…?

One overcast Monday afternoon, I drove down from the EDSA off-ramp heading towards Boni Avenue in Mandaluyong when a jeepney stopped at the corner after the off-ramp to wait for passengers. Naturally, our lane was blocked and traffic began to build up. When I was finally able to move alongside the still-waiting jeepney, I rolled down the window of my borrowed 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer and asked the jeepney driver "Brad, hindi mo ba nabasa yang ‘No Loading and Unloading’ sign sa kanto sa tabi mo? (Brother, didn’t you read that traffic sign at the corner near you?)"

Instead of moving their PUV, the young-looking driver and his equally naïve-looking male companion in the front seat glared at me and my big black SUV as if I violated their rights. "Ang hirap sa inyong mayayaman, pinapakialaman ninyo pati ang trabaho naming mahihirap! (The problem with you rich people is that you interfere even with how we poor people conduct our business!)", was the driver’s arrogant reply. (Thanks for the flattery, buddy, but I’m not rich.) He was obviously violating a traffic ordinance by being an obstruction but in his simpleton mind, he could only think of his rights that were being supposedly violated by the rich guy in the American SUV. Or it may be some sick excuse they spew out to cover up their wanton disregard for traffic rules and regulations.

That jeepney driver’s arrogance led me to think about the general state of traffic management in the Metro. Whatever happened to traffic laws most drivers now routinely violate? Please allow me to ask a dozen questions that many, including some of our dear readers have been asking for quite some time now:

1. Whatever happened to traffic laws? It seems like many of our countrymen are now ignorant of them — pedestrians don’t know when or where to walk or cross, drivers of public utility vehicles don’t know where to load or unload their passengers; drivers don’t obey traffic signs or traffic lights anymore and many drivers especially jeepney, bus, taxi, FX and tricycle drivers cross intersections even under the red light. Are people now oblivious to traffic laws?

2. Whatever happened to driver courtesy? It seems only a handful of drivers practice it nowadays thus the chaotic state of our city traffic. How did the other drivers get their licenses without knowing this very basic requirement?

3. Whatever happened to traffic enforcement? It seems nobody is seriously enforcing traffic laws thus people wantonly violate them. Sometimes, MMDA or the LTO or an LGU will come up with a scheme and then it will eventually flicker out. Most of the time, traffic enforcers don’t have the heart, the will or the balls to strictly implement traffic regulations. Will it always be "ningas cogon" every time government agencies come out with something to ease traffic? Who should really be in charge of traffic?

4. Whatever happened to traffic enforcement at night? Bus drivers drive maniacally outside of the bus lane at night because there are no enforcers. Jeepney drivers drive without headlights because nobody accosts them. Fly-by-night tricycle drivers ply main roads where they are supposed to be banned because nobody apprehends them. Is traffic enforcement a day job only?

5. Whatever happened to simple PUV drivers’ regulations like uniforms and IDs? It seems like nobody’s wearing uniforms or displaying IDs anymore. Aren’t bus drivers and taxi drivers supposed to wear a white polo while jeepney drivers are supposed to wear blue? Aren’t they supposed to be given a traffic ticket if they’re not wearing uniforms?

6. Whatever happened to the Clean Air Act? You can see smoke-belching PUVs, trucks, AUVs, cars and motorcycles that have current registration tags. How did these air polluters pass their smoke emission tests?

7. Whatever happened to the ban on loud stereo systems on public utility vehicles? Just look at jeepneys plying T.M. Kalaw in Manila or Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City. You could hear the loud "boom-boom" of their bass a mile away. Why is nobody apprehending them or confiscating their boom-boxes?

8. Whatever happened to the cigarette smoking ban on public utility vehicles? Jeepney drivers smoke while driving so some of their passengers do, too. Isn’t it a violation of a Republic Act and the rights of the non-smokers?

9. Whatever happened to apprehending vehicles that go against the flow of traffic? If you’re coming from the South Superhighway and headed towards Pasig along C-5 in Taguig, you’ll encounter a lot of vehicles coming from the two off-ramps near the Fort Bonifacio area going the opposite direction on the rightmost lane. If you’re coming out of Don Antonio making a right turn on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, you might hit tricycles coming in the wrong way. Isn’t this very dangerous considering that both C-5 and Commonwealth Avenue are busy thoroughfares?

10. Whatever happened to the ban on PUV terminals on the street? Pass by the newly-opened intersection at España and Blumentritt Street in Manila and see how parked jeepneys occupy most of the street and at the P. Florentino corner further down the road. A bus company adds to the congestion because sometimes its buses are parked on the street, too. What are the cops at the police substation at the mouth of the intersection doing about it? Nothing. Are they on the take? Or do they own some of the jeepneys?

11. Whatever happened to the Road User’s Tax? The rates for renewing our vehicle registrations have gone up (and may go up again) and yet we don’t see any improvement in the way roads are repaired (still done patch work style) or maintained, if they are looked after at all. Wasn’t the Road User’s Tax primarily intended for traffic and road safety improvement? How is it really being used? Isn’t the government supposed to be transparent with how this levy is being spent?

12. Whatever happened to public service? It seems that our government officials and their officers have become deaf, dumb or both. Heck, they don’t even bother to respond to questions like these, much less do anything concrete and lasting about the traffic problem. Must it take the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to summon them before they answer to the people? Aren’t they supposed to be accountable to the people because as taxpayers, aren’t we their employers?

Perhaps the everyday traffic problem and the inability of traffic officials to solve it are some of the other reasons why people are so vehemently opposed to the 12 percent VAT or any other new tax measure that the government wants to impose. Other than becoming an additional financial burden, people simply do not see taxes, whether existing or proposed, working for them. They feel that the taxes will just go to the pockets of corrupt government officials and fear that new tax measures will not be used to uplift their lives, like restoring law and order on the road. They simply look at the traffic chaos on the streets and wonder how our public officials, past and present, remain unaccountable for creating this mess. One does not need to be a populist or an economist to know this. One just has to go on the road and ask "Whatever happened to…?"

If you finally got out of the traffic mess, you can reach Lester Dizon at [email protected].

* * *

Backseat drivers will always have tons to say. Last week we were deluged with comments (often more than one) from quite a number of them. Here are a few of the things they had to say about motoring in Metro Manila and the rest of the archipelago…

* * *

Can somebody do something to keep tricycles on the roads where they are not hazards? Try to implement strict measures before issuing a permit to operate, perhaps? — 09178550043

* * *

Can you please let us know how to get in touch with the LTFRB? We have so many complaints here in Leyte. Please, we need your help! — 09276511562 (We’ll try to get back on you on that.)

* * *

Implement the death penalty by firing squad to abusive and reckless drivers of any kind. And it should be televised, too! — 09279676529 (Uh, we’re frustrated too, but isn’t that just a wee bit too harsh?)

* * *

MMDA please do something about the jeepneys parked at the corner of EDSA and Muñoz waiting for people. They cause traffic. — 09176294302

* * *

Bus owners should also be held responsible for reckless drivers. — 09165885780

* * *

Are the streets around ABS-CBN really one-way streets? How come tricycles counterflow every time, every hour, every day? — 09195606128

* * *

Regarding the killer bus driver (Backseat Driver, Feb 2, 2005): amicable settlement with the family shouldn’t be the end of it. The government should file a criminal case against the driver! — 09189363910

* * *

To the MMDA/PNCC/BF, if you really must tolerate motorcycles along high-speed highways, at least you could designate a lane meant strictly for them. — 09178997877

* * *

Attention MMDA: Numerous tricks and container vans parked along the R10 road in Tondo, Manila. These parked vehicles cause unnecessary traffic. — 099175317117

* * *

It is not surprising that those who were able to secure a TRO against the MMDA are the undisciplined group of drivers. — 09178167532

* * *

Speak out, be heard and keep those text messages coming in. To say your piece and become a "Backseat Driver", text PHILSTAR<space>FB<space>MOTORING<space>YOUR MESSAGE and send to 2333 if you’re a Globe or Touch Mobile subscriber or 334 if you’re a Smart or Talk ’n Text subscriber.