A better way?

This just in. President Bongbong Marcos Jr. has suspended for a month the planned rehabilitation of EDSA to find “a better way” to fix the said highway. This would also mean the planned dry run of the odd-even scheme is also suspended. The government most likely envisioned scenarios where traffic is horrendous, both on EDSA and on all other roads, given the two traffic schemes that all motorists have to keep in mind. I’ve seen charts on social media that would help remember these schemes, especially for those who only have one vehicle.

I wrote in a previous article that EDSA was being repaired, albeit in small sections at a time, and only on weekends. They would start digging up the faulty sections on a Friday night, prepare the surface on Saturday, then pour concrete so that by Monday morning, the sections in question would be ready for use. Can’t they use the same procedure, or will it take much longer than planned?

We should all expect a better way after a month. I’m interested to see if there is a better way or if we go back to the original plan. This is such a huge undertaking that would affect so many people, so decisions should consider how best to approach it. There was no mention of the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) if it too would be suspended. The policy has already monitored thousands of violators.

A rally is set for today to protest against NCAP, calling for its suspension. The MMDA has released its initial findings, where most of the violations were committed by motorcycle riders. Why am I not surprised? Is this why a rider partially obstructed his plate number, because he knows he would violate traffic laws? His license has been suspended by the LTO for 90 days. I heard someone saying there is no law against covering a plate number. Probably not. There is also no law banning the use of a face mask, wearing dark glasses, and a cap while going to a bank, but I can assure you, the security guards will have something to say about that.

If there is an improvement in discipline among motorists and a decline in the number of traffic violations monitored by NCAP, then the policy should remain. It is time the streets become safe and orderly. We cannot sustain the kind of bedlam we currently have on the streets. As for the government, they have their work cut out for them.