Editorial: Hurry up, growth is overtaking us

SM CITY Davao will be expanding, converting one of its parking spaces into a new building.

Construction of Abreeza is going on schedule albeit an unfortunate collapse of a portion of the Robinson's part of the complex where a worker was killed.

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While there is still no movement going on, we all know that what used to be the Lanang Golf and Country Club had already been bought by a mall developer as well.

All around we see construction. But all around us we see just four-lane highways and two-lane roads.

Thus, the city is clogging up.

Traffic at the whole stretch of Matina along MacArthur Highway remains congested throughout the day and becomes worse at chokepoints like Matina Crossing and Governor Generoso Bridge.

The Land Transportation Office along Quimpo Boulevard is never without traffic congestion on weekdays.

Vehicle traffic grinds to a near-stop when churchgoers from Redemptorist Church leave or arrive.

What we see are stark reminders of what we are going to face maybe just a year or two from now with private investments pouring in. Are we willing to suffer for it?

Definitely, no one will be willing, but will just have to suffer anyway because no matter how we look at our road networks, there is no room for expansion. Worse, even the less congested traffic routes do not have the road right-of-way allotment for widening. Ulas, Talomo, Bago Aplaya, Dumoy, Toril, there is barely space left for two more lanes to accommodate traffic of a fast-growing city. It's worse northward where structures are just off the narrow road shoulder.

We are building ourselves into a trap it seems, and there's no other way out except the expensive expropriation. But that's how it will be for as long as we close our eyes to the realities of our narrow road networks as we have been doing for the past decade of growth.