Temporary relief

I could almost hear the collective sigh of relief when news came out that the President ordered the postponement of the planned May rehabilitation work on EDSA, the country’s prime thoroughfare, and asked that further studies be done to minimize the inconvenience to motorists and the public alike once the work actually starts. I’m sure many from the business and transportation sectors expressed their concerns with regards to the closing down of at least two lanes of the major artery. If one stalled vehicle on EDSA is enough to cause monstrous traffic, what more when two lanes are made useless!

I can just imagine all those affected by the eventual rehabilitation, from motorists to businesses, from employees to students. Practically everyone. EDSA is like the sea lanes of the past, where commerce flows giving rise to progress. At a time when the economic atmosphere of the country is good, closing down several lanes where the flow of traffic, goods and people are brought to a blood-boiling crawl may have detrimental effects on the good economy that the country is enjoying.

This is the problem when you have a growing population while the space where we all live and work stays the same. EDSA is not what it was thirty years ago, when it was flat, devoid of flyovers. I can still remember EDSA interrupted by traffic lights along the way. There was even a way to enter the southbound lane of EDSA from White Plains Avenue. You just had to cross the highway, which was still possible because traffic was a lot less at the time. Indeed, it has changed exponentially.

President Aquino has ordered further studies into the plan, focusing on the possible alternate routes to ease the pain. I did mention that many other secondary roads also need rehabilitation, such as Taft Ave., G. Araneta Ave. and A. Bonifacio to name a few. A triple bypass if you will. All these will do well to provide alternate routes should the EDSA 2-year work begin. But these roads have to be beefed up if it is to take the brunt of the normal EDSA traffic. Especially when the big trucks come along.

Pain normally follows progress. If EDSA will eventually need to be rehabilitated, then we will all have to suffer the pain. Again. When the flyovers were being constructed, it took a while before most established a routine around the work.  But as I said, it is a different EDSA today. I sincerely doubt if we can establish an acceptable routine around the work, before we lose our minds!