Be Are Tee’d (Part 2)

Last week, I talked about the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.  I discussed its numerous advantages and why it would be good to have one for our metropolis.  But how come a proposal that was raised in the 90’s is still a proposal up to this day?  The answer lies in two simple words: urban planning.  Or six, actually:  the total lack of urban planning.

Back in the day, we were happy and content with two lane roads and a minimum count of fifteen seconds until the next vehicle would zoom by.  While there was still so much space and too few people in Cebu, nobody ever stopped to say, “What if we ballooned to a population of 3-5 million people in forty years, will our current infrastructure hold up?”

Fast forward to the 90’s and every Cebuano was raving about how Cebu will rise to the top of the heap after Typhoon Ruping.  We inspired Ceboom.  Still, no one asked the question.

A score later, we are stuck in four-lane, Matchbox-sized roads that flood at the slightest teardrop from the gods.  Plus, we were suddenly burdened with a population that would rival India on a person per square foot basis.  We ran out of space before we could expand current roads to fit Tonka trucks. 

The dilemma we face is the fact that buses used for a BRT system are a lot bigger than a Tonka truck.  And carving out two lanes of the existing four-wide roads won’t be easy.  Even a ten billion peso budget won’t help move buildings out of the way to allow for road widening.  We’re stuck with stretches of roads that go from four lanes, to two lanes, then to four lanes then to single lane roads.  All thanks to the long and tedious process of expropriating lots from migrant squatters who assert their non-existent birth right to the land they currently occupy.  And if they catch even a whiff of the government’s scent, they scream human rights.

Remember those movies where humans send messages to space in search of intelligent life-form and end up with a really nasty alien invasion?  By shouting to the entire planet that we are Cebu and we will Ceboom, we invited an inevitable infestation.  The only problem is we don’t have some miracle vaccine or technology to defend ourselves.

Urban development brought about an influx of people from all over the archipelago and the world.  From people who’ve lived in mega cities to people who’ve never seen a crosswalk, people of all cultures and backgrounds arrived in Cebu.  Aside from leading to increased human and vehicular traffic, an increased population also leads to an increase in the outright disregard for traffic rules and regulations.

Because of the extreme laxity with which our “enforcers”, well, ‘enforce’ traffic rules and regulations, we have become a society of unknowing lawbreakers.  Aside from commuters’ obvious habit of waiting for public transport at no-stopping zones, you will have your usual crop of ‘licensed’ drivers who think it’s their right to use BRT lanes as personal express lanes.  Unless you put up concrete barriers and station no-nonsense military snipers for those lanes, dedicating two lanes as BRT-only lanes would never work. 

Thanks in part to a very “stringent” licensing system, these ‘licensed’ drivers don’t even know they’re not allowed to do that.  And it bugs me to think that some of these ‘licensed’ drivers will be behind the wheel of the BRT buses.

A BRT system would work if we implement it properly.  It would help transport a bigger number of commuters at a faster pace and decrease road traffic.  But with people’s current attitude towards and total disrespect for traffic laws, we’d have a better chance of getting the divorce bill through. @backseatdrivrph