Not organized to fix traffic

It has been almost 50 days since the Duterte administration took over, and there is no hint they are getting organized to fix our traffic problem. Last Friday evening’s nightmare of a traffic gridlock everywhere in Metro Manila will be the story of our lives for a long while yet, it seems.

I get the impression President Duterte assigned Transport Secretary Art Tugade to deal with the traffic problem. But it seems Sec. Tugade thinks he only plays a supporting role to MMDA. Probably that’s why I have not seen Sec. Tugade do anything beyond meetings and press statements that would give us hope that change is in the wings.

Sec. Tugade must realize President Duterte’s name is at stake here and as far as the president is concerned, he is the president’s point man for transportation. MMDA doesn’t even have a permanent chairman, just an officer in charge.

Of course it is unfair to expect drastic or even noticeable change in 50 days or even a hundred days or a thousand days. Most of the real solutions are long term. But there are things they should be doing that will deliver the message that they are on the job.

At the top of their agenda should be simple enough: Organize to start addressing the problem. President Duterte must make it clear Tugade is responsible for the traffic problem by issuing an executive order designating the Transport chief as the traffic management czar.

Why is this official designation important? It is because Tugade doesn’t have the legal mandate, nor does he have the organization as Transport secretary to deal with Metro Manila’s traffic problem. That mandate is provided by law to MMDA.

Tugade must have the legal authority to use MMDA’s resources to carry out his mandate from President Duterte to fix metro traffic. He cannot be a mere coordinator the way then Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras was.

Another way of doing it is to have the president appoint a new MMDA chairman who is Tugade’s choice, or someone who will have no problem reporting to Tugade. Having both the EO and a MMDA chairman of Tugade’s choice is ideal.

Indeed, Tugade should stop raising hope about emergency powers unless he has control of MMDA. Even after he gets emergency powers, he still needs an effective organization, manpower and resources, to fix traffic.

Besides, I don’t think Congress will be able to pass the enabling legislation granting emergency powers to deal with the traffic problem earlier than January 2017. And with the Christmas season fast approaching, metro streets will just become parking lots.

Dealing with the traffic problem requires a central authority. Right now we have MMDA and the Highway Patrol Group, LTO, LTFRB and traffic enforcement groups of 17 LGUs as well as the DPWH, each doing its own thing. The Highway Patrol Group is still working on EDSA on the basis of an EO from P-Noy. MMDA, as a recent COA audit observed, has no plan of action and just lives by the day.

The only visibly effective group is the highway patrol, but the mandate of that PNP special unit is nationwide. They can only assign so many officers to work on EDSA traffic. And the HPG is not involved in other metro roads, just EDSA.

To show how chaotic their current efforts are, I found out the HPG and MMDA do not even have the ability to communicate with each other. They are using different two-way radio systems. With Tugade as official traffic czar with authority over HPG, MMDA and all other government entities involved in traffic management, this communication problem can be addressed. It is so basic.

The HPG is assisted by MMDA traffic aides, but does not exercise real authority over them. This has to change. The HPG should have control over all traffic enforcers, including those from the MMDA and all 17 LGUs including barangays. The HPG should have authority to screen and train all traffic enforcers to be assigned in the field. That’s basic too.

I understand the HPG has successfully trained and mobilized citizen traffic volunteers in Region 4 to augment their limited number of officers. We should try the same approach in NCR. Many years ago, there was the Citizen Traffic Action or CTA composed of such volunteers who ably assisted police in traffic management. It should be revived.

At this point, only better law enforcement can help us in the short term. The real solutions involve infrastructure development that requires time to complete. A subway system is ideal, but that takes at least 10 years and probably longer given government procedures.

I published a week ago a list of relatively quick gestation infra projects that can be undertaken that may provide some relief. The list involves short stretches of new roads, new bridges and easily assembled pre-fabricated overpasses or bridges. I hope Sec Tugade closely coordinates with DPWH Sec. Villar to see the projects through.

The other thing Tugade as traffic czar should do is help San Miguel with their right of way problems on the NLEX-SLEX connector road. I am told the completion of that project will relieve at least 50 percent of traffic congestion on EDSA.

San Miguel still has 90 percent of needed ROW to acquire. Perhaps the ROW people of the Toll Regulatory Board are less than competent and must be helped by the more experienced ROW staff of DPWH.

I realize too that Sec. Tugade is being inundated by all sorts of proposals like one that seeks to rip out the tracks on LRT 2 and convert it to a BRT system.  This is supposed “to address the LRT-2’s ageing system as well as maintenance.” This is a controversial proposal and discussion will delay improvements needed in a system we already have.

Ageing system? LRT-2 is the youngest system they have! What do we do with the trains? Throw them away? They are wider than the LRT-1 and MRT-3 trains so cannot be used on those lines. The LRT-2 loan for the original construction is still running too.

It is alright to build BRT systems, but don’t destroy working rail systems we already have. Luckily Tugade was reported to have said the concept “needs a lot of thinking. It needs a lot of planning and we have to get a lot of approval.”

In other words, a lot of delay. It would be easier to complete the public bidding needed to make the LRT 2 extension to Masinag usable as soon as DMCI completes its work on the superstructure. Build the BRT in new areas to supplement LRTs, MRT.

I hope Sec Tugade is not being overwhelmed. I like his enthusiasm but it is important he sticks to the right priorities and leave the daydreaming about an ideal transport system to his planners. Right now, he has to address our traffic jams that are getting worse by the day.

I don’t mean to nag, but the first 100 days is just around the corner. We need to see some movement now.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco.