PALILEO, Manuel Elijah C.

CE123/C2
Transportation Planning and Metro Manila
Traffic in Metro Manila has the "worst traffic on Earth" based on the 2015 Global Satisfaction conducted
by Waze. Metro Manila commuters and motorists alike spend more than an hour, on average, in traffic every day,
placing the Philippines' capital region the 3rd worst in traffic in Southeast Asia. According to a survey conducted
by BCG, the survey places Metro Manila 3rd worst in the region, with an average of 66 minutes stuck in traffic
daily. In Metro Manila, on top of the 66-minute traffic experience, drivers also spend an average of 24 minutes
per day searching for parking. The BCG survey results also indicated that traffic may worsen, as 84% of Metro
Manila respondents said they plan to buy a car in the next 5 years. Senator On a study entitled “Roadmap for
Transport Infrastructure Development for Metro Manila and Surrounding Areas” conducted by the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the traffic in Metro Manila is at an alarming stage and has already cost
the country Php2.5Bn a day. These costs refer to value of time lost due to delay, fuel costs, vehicle operating
costs, impact on health & greenhouse gas emissions.
These are some transportation planning the MMDA and DOTr have implemented in Metro Manila. Firstly,
the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) is what is more commonly referred to as the “colour
coding” or “number coding” system implemented by the MMDA. It is a travel demand management program
meant to ration road space based on the license plates of vehicles; by regulating the number of vehicles using the
roads, the program thereby reduces volume and eases traffic congestion. Secondly, the truck ban is a scheme
meant to address the perception that freight vehicles are the main culprits in congesting Metro Manila roads.
Under this scheme, trucks are prohibited from traveling along major road networks for most of the day, depending
on the type and weight of truck. Thirdly, The U-turn Scheme was implemented by the MMDA in 2002 primarily
to account for roundabout operations on the road. This entailed the creation of median opens along busy arterial
roads and was composed of two originally separate schemes: the “Big Rotunda Scheme” and the “Clearway
Scheme”.
With the growing population and increasing amount of traffic congestion, there is a constant need to create
better road systems that allow people to get where they need to go safely and efficiently. That’s the job of a
transportation planner. Using the latest traffic engineering best practices, planners work with local governments
and other clients to implement a solution. Transportation engineers and planners could develop a variety of
strategies to deal with congestion. For example, examine current conditions, such as roadway design and traffic.
Take into account dynamic variables such as future population growth, future employment growth, land usage,
and major areas of city expansion. Identify existing transportation problems and predict future problems; analyse
ways to improve the transportation infrastructure. Develop both short-term and long-term solutions to operational
strategies of moving people and goods from one place to another, including alternative capital improvements.
Though if all the transportation planning are not executed, all of it will be a major waste.
As a future civil engineer, if I were to be involved in the field of traffic engineering, I need look at the
whole picture in order maximize traffic flow and reduce instanced of congestion: the movement of vehicles on
roads and highways; the movement of pedestrians. My main objectives are: Providing high efficient traffic flow
through ample research and innovative design efforts, to produce free flow of traffic, use research to design
roadways and highways that increase traffic safety.
In conclusion cars are still the ideal transportation method for anyone and almost any circumstance. Here
are the reasons why cars are better than buses, streetcars, bikes, and generally any other transportation method.
Cars have flexibility, safety, adaptability and they are an investment.