Too much of a good thing?

It was the late S.P. Lopez, writer, diplomat and former president of the University of the Philippines, who once told us that, in life, one should be like a good poker player and know enough to quit while one is ahead.

Unfortunately, a good thing, like a good poker hand, is tempting, and too often we fall prey to the temptation to keep going. After all, one good thing, like a good turn–deserves another, right?

That seems to be the thinking of the mayor of Manila, as he seeks to replicate the success of the Bay Walk along Roxas Boulevard in the Muelle del Rio promenade along the Pasig River in Intramuros.

Parks and promenades are a good thing, especially for our city which so lacks in greenery and open spaces and walkable areas (our sidewalks are, too often than not, not walkable). The transformation of the seaside stretch of Roxas Blvd.–complete with statue of former Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson reading a newspaper, a favorite spot for kodakan–as well as Plaza Rajah Sulayman–complete with dancing fountain–into a bright, breezy and vibrant hub that’s alive practically 24/7 is just what the area needed. Even critics and naysayers have to grudgingly concede that it indeed is a good thing.

Now we have Muelle del Rio paved over, lighted up with period-looking lampposts and decorated with potted palms and benches. The area used to be where barges unloaded cargo from inter-island vessels, and for a short time it was a station for FX taxis. Turning it into a promenade could have been another good thing, except that even the street was appropriated for pedestrian traffic, thus eliminating a vital vehicular route that connects Intramuros/Port Area and Jones Bridge/Binondo. Now all vehicles have to detour all the way to City Hall and Padre Burgos Street, then to Bonifacio Drive, adding to the already heavy volume of traffic in those areas.

Our office is located in Port Area, and for the past few days many of my colleagues have been coming in to work cursing and screaming. Aside from the traffic jams, commuters complain about trip cutting by jeepney drivers, who reason that the extra 30 to 45 minutes it takes to detour costs them significant income losses. The ripple effect of that situation affects traffic on Taft Ave. and Roxas Blvd. as well. I’m trying to keep cool and reasonable about this, trying to see the positive side, but my colleague predicts I won’t be as cool next time I attempt to go to Binondo and find myself sweltering in noonday traffic instead of enjoying machang and lomi in my favorite hole-in-the-wall in Carvajal.