Government sets traffic summit this week

Marcos cited the need for immediate relief from traffic woes while long-term infrastructure solutions are underway.

“Together, we can conquer Metro Manila’s traffic situation. Join the conversation at the Traffic Summit by sharing your insights in the comments!” the President said in a Facebook post yesterday.

The summit, titled “Bagong Pilipinas townhall meeting on traffic concerns,” will be held on April 10.

In a video that accompanied the post, Marcos said state agencies and local governments would tackle the problem in detail, and encouraged the public to take part in the discussions.

“Participate even through the comments section so we would know your ideas and thoughts,” he added.

Describing traffic congestion as one of the worst problems in the country, Marcos said it is saddening that the situation is already a part of Filipino life.

“We cannot deny that traffic in the Philippines is well-known and notorious around the world,” the Chief Executive said.

The video then showed a clip of Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin singing about the “completely insane” traffic in Manila during the band’s Philippine concert last January.

Marcos was among those who watched the concert and was even criticized for using a presidential chopper to travel to the concert venue. The Presidential Security Command defended Marcos’ use of the helicopter, saying the traffic situation had posed a “potential threat” to his safety.

In 2018, the Japan International Cooperation Agency released a study indicating that traffic congestion in Metro Manila is costing the Philippines P3.5 billion a day. According to the traffic index of digital navigation site TomTom, Metro Manila had the worst traffic congestion among metro areas last year.

Marcos said previous administrations have tried various solutions for traffic issues, which yielded mixed results. While Filipinos are already used to the problem, the search for solutions should not stop, he added.

Marcos noted that while the construction of infrastructure like bridges, flyovers, skyway, subway and train systems is ongoing, the population and number of vehicles continue to increase.

He said Metro Manila is already congested, so part of the plans of the government is to develop nearby provinces and cities like Bulacan, Pampanga, Cavite and Laguna. Efforts to improve roads, bridges and airports are also ongoing, the President added.

However, he acknowledged that while creating opportunities outside Metro Manila would help ease the problem, it would not provide an immediate solution because it involves huge projects that may even cause slow-moving traffic.

“Just be patient and once they are completed, you can be sure that our situation will improve,” Marcos said.

Marcos also admitted that there are areas outside Metro Manila whose infrastructure had failed to keep up with their growing population. He said these areas have roads that need to be widened, have potholes and local traffic rules that are not effective. — Alexis Romero