Sangil: Tagaytay is it

ON THE first day of the year, I traveled to Tagaytay. On that day, I was so happy and comfortable because there was no hassle in my travel to this resort city. Tagaytay is always an option for vacations aside from Baguio. (Ang sarap yatang mag-beer or sip red wine in the afternoon pag malamig.) I don’t recommend to lowlanders taking a respite in the Pines City, as long as there’s the pandemic is still in our midst. There are too many restrictions that may piss you off, a friend told me who was recently there. The weather in Tagaytay is fine with me. A little less cooler than Baguio. The cool mountain air and whistling winds are also present there. (Lamig Baguio). Coming from Angeles City, it will be a one and half hour drive up to Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Smooth ride passing through three expressways. The ride on the skyway is a first-time experience. It was seamless travel. Gone is the nerve-wracking funeral type driving when traversing the clogged Edsa. An eighteen-kilometer distance that consumes almost two hours just for that stretch. That skyway should have been built a long time ago. Well, better late than never.

***

Moving vehicles cannot cause traffic. In many metropolitan cities, those parked vehicles on the streets stall traffic. It is those jeepneys that load and unload passengers in the middle of the road that contributes to the traffic problem. It is those concrete barriers that restrict flow of vehicles. And to top it all, it is the lack of discipline among motorists that causes the jam. In Clark and Subic, there is less traffic problem because there are traffic management and enforcement. Why? Because it will be no mercy when a violator is caught. No special favors. Not even from an intervening official.

***

I remember a story told to me by Ex-Congressman Tong Payumo and lawyer and UP professor Arnel Casanova, then-chairman and president of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), respectively. They recall when the car they rode together was flagged down at Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). The two were on their way to the north for our meeting. Running late, and their driver might have a sense that the acceleration went beyond the highway's speed limit. The in-placed radar caught the overspeeding car. Reaching the toll gate, the two immediately told the driver not to complain when issued a violation ticket. They didn't even introduce themselves. By the way, BCDA is the owner and manager of SCTEX. That never happens in local governance. Never I heard a mayor given a citation salute. The arresting officer will even give a snappy salute the moment he recognizes who is in the car.

***

Paging Department of Public Works and Highways in Angeles City. For some time now, the traffic light at the intersection of the west circumferential road needs adjusting. Motorists going to and fro are jammed by measly 45-second ticks of the traffic light. Repeat. 45 seconds, instead of the earlier 120 seconds. (I pass through this road almost every day and I am wondering till now who caused the adjustment.) Daily vehicles are stacked there. If ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Monstrous traffic jams developed because everyone seems to be in a hurry, thus, resulting in gridlock. Even at night time, thousands of sand hauling trucks coming from different quarry sites in Porac pass through that particular section.

***

Over the years, the once place for souvenir shops morphed into a Korean town. Hotels, restaurants, shops and other business establishments were established one after the other. During rush hours, traffic starts to develop there. Drivers weave in and out of the road. Vehicles making U-turns. Cars are double-parked on both sides. I recommend that traffic enforcers be assigned there. Will Particularly after 5 p.m. when Clark Freeport workers are making their way home and the diners are flocking the many restaurants in the area.

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph