Sangil: Educate trike drivers if we can’t remove ‘em from highways



THE newly elected officials, particularly those holding the executive positions for the first time in towns and cities, are faced with numerous challenges. They should focus on this one: The three cities sliced by the MacArthur Highway stretch are already experiencing traffic gridlocks.

Something must be done ASAP. City Mayors Cris Garbo, Pogi Lazatin, and Edwin Santiago of Mabalacat, Angeles and San Fernando, respectively, must lay out programs to address the gridlocks.

As far as Angeles City is concerned, Mayor Pogi Lazatin, I’ve heard is teaming up with his brother Congressman Jonjon, and are working for the acquisition of flyovers. One such will be constructed along the Porac-Angeles intersection. Construction of a bypass road that will start near the Marquee Mall and wind up at EPZA area in Barangay Pulung Cacutud is expected to be finished within the year. I have yet to find out how Mabalacat and San Fernando will address the traffic problems in their cities. I am sure they have plans.

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To the extent of getting accused of being repetitive, let me recall what I have been writing all the time about traffic. When I was with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, former Bataan Congressman Felicito “Tong” Payumo was chairman and I was a member of the board of directors. One time, he invited me to the Manila Polo Club, the hub of the super rich in this country, for lunch and that was the first time I heard from him the idea of constructing a tunnel road that will connect Bataan and Zambales to Metro Manila and Cavite.

Payumo, over the years, has been pushing for the Cavite-Corregidor-Bataan tunnel project which for sure will decongest traffic on Edsa and other thoroughfares in the Metro Manila area. In his one-on-one with Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez, he said he discussed a possible ODA loan from Japan which will cost our government only 2 percent over 40 years with a grace period of 10 years.

According to Payumo, tunneling is not rocket science. There are several tunnels now that connect countries like the one that joined France and England. A bridge tunnel that connects Yokohama and Chiba prefecture across Tokyo bay. Some years back, I experienced together with friends like Manny Alfonso, Ray Dizon and Romy Pecson, passing a tunnel from Copenhagen, Denmark to Sweden. Each one of us said WOW.

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Until today, there are so many suggestions and experiments. So many ridiculous and crazy ideas on how to solve the traffic problem, particular concern is the one that besets the whole of Metro Manila. The traffic problem is no longer a monopoly of Metropolitan Manila, but also a serious concern of every city in the country, and even in small towns like Porac and Magalang. There are close to 2,000 sand and gravel trucks passing through the two-lane Angeles-Porac road. Porac Councilor Mike Tapang has been suggesting a road parallel to the mega dike. There were several announcements of a road construction in that western part of the province, and seemingly nothing has been started yet. Btw. The dike road needs immediate repairs. Paging DPWH.

It is estimated, the Philippines loses something like P3 billion a day due to the traffic gridlocks. I oftentimes said you don't have to re-invent the wheels to ease congestions. Ingenuity is not even necessary. I humbly suggest that an ordinance be enacted in big towns and cities and require all establishments -- malls, casinos, call centers, offices and every commercial establishment to provide shuttle buses to their officers and employees. The number of shuttles is based in the ratio of each establishment's employees.

Remove all smoke belchers and penalize emission test companies which issued the clearance. Remove tricycles on the highways. And if for some reason law enforcers cannot get them off the primary roads, at least they should be educated on traffic use like using the outer lanes and not running parallel, blocking other motorists. There is more to be done. Just listen to motorists and the riding public.

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