Congestion tax to relieve traffic jams

Bayani Fernando is putting up one more experiment starting today in an increasingly frustrating bid to make traffic flow in Metro Manila streets but I am already confused on what it is. When he stopped the so called color coding scheme (which has nothing to do with color but more with numbers), I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I guess I was getting pretty complacent about the traffic situation since my experience until then had been quite good.

But now, I have to admit that Bayani’s experiment is a failure. I live about four kilometers from where I work but there are days it takes me close to an hour to move from house to office and vice versa. Maybe it is not because of the suspension of color coding that is at fault. The stupid experiment of rerouting traffic in the Ortigas area is probably more to blame.

The reality however is there. Traffic has gone bad again for me and I could trace it all back to the day Bayani experimented with lifting the color coding scheme. Well, fellow UP Prepian Jojo Binay is right after all. The color coding scheme is not perfect but taking 20 percent of registered vehicles off the streets seem to make a real difference even if now, temporary.

Last week’s issue of The Economist had an interesting story about the city mayor of London grappling with the problem of traffic jams too. His solution, a congestion tax on vehicles entering the city center, is however not that novel because Singapore had been using it since the 70s.

But, The Economist says, governments all over the world faced with the traffic problem have little choice. "Governments can either choose to leave people fuming in their cars (which wastes people’s time and pollutes the air) or they can ration road space by regulation or by price. Regulation-banning people from driving in certain areas at certain times-is relatively clumsy. Rationing by price is more efficient because it allocates road space to those who value it most."

Here is London’s scheme. "From Feb. 17th, drivers entering an eight-square-mile patch bounded by Park Lane, Euston Road, Commercial Street and Vauxhall will have to pay £5 ($8) between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on weekdays. Ken Livingstone, London’s mayor, hopes to cut traffic by 15 percent, leading to a 25 percent reduction in traffic delays. The net proceeds–expected to be around £120 million a year–are to be used to improve public transport."

This means, because the Makati Central Business District is the most congested, Jojo Binay in partnership with Ayala Corp., can charge a congestion fee for every vehicle that enters the area between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. The money collected can be used to put up parking buildings near the entrance to the city center and maybe a fleet of mini buses to take people to their destinations within the city center.

There are other things we can do. Discipline bus drivers to load and unload in a civilized manner only in designated areas. No driver must be allowed to obstruct the flow of traffic specially in key arteries. Go after the colorum buses with impunity. It is obvious that with the MRT, we need less buses on the road. The buses are no longer as full as before, even in rush hours.

Bayani must also swallow his pride and accept the failure of his experiments. Bring back color coding because getting the 20 percent off our roads is significant. Make those expensive so-called smart traffic lights work as they are supposed to. I know the problem is with those corrupt traffic aides. Maybe, if we make it easier and convenient to pay fines right on the spot, drivers would prefer to do that than bribe the traffic aide.

I wonder if anyone has calculated the amount of fuel we waste in our horrendous traffic jams. I am sure it is a lot. Given our need to conserve energy, making our traffic flow smoother is a must. The resulting cleaner air is also a bonus we can enjoy with smoother traffic flows. If Bayani Fernando is up to the challenge, we will all know we have a worthy successor to GMA in 2004.

Hero

I am not sure if the movie Hero is still showing. If it is, make sure you don’t miss it. Watching it on DVD is the second best option. But it is best watched on the big screen, with those wide panoramic vistas of spectacular Chinese landscape and battle scenes. The movie is also well scripted and well crafted. To me, it shows China is now an important world power in cinema arts.

I watched Hero as a guest of the Anvil Executive Club during the first day of this Chinese new year. Sponsoring that premier was the best way of launching the first Anvil Prize for Courage in Public Service. Anvil is a club composed of young Chinoys who want to make a positive difference in society. In launching their search for the courageous public servant/s, they hope to honor the person or group with exceptional moral courage in public service, with the goal of encouraging modern day heroism in this country.

I guess what the Anvil chaps have in mind is someone like the heroes in the movie Hero. All of them subordinated personal interest and glory for a greater or superior social good. The three assassins gave up their right to have a chance to get close enough to the Emperor to kill him to the more superior warrior played by Jet Li. In turn, Jet Li gave up the clear opportunity to kill the emperor for the greater goal of allowing the emperor to unify China, even if by doing so, he signs his own death warrant.

Thus, in the end the character of Jet Li was executed as an assassin but was buried as a Hero. Self sacrifice for the greater good of the Chinese nation and people! Such rare nobility that seems to have gone out of style! Maybe the Anvil Club should arrange for a special preview for all members of Congress. Hopefully, the message of what it means to be a hero is not too subtle for them to catch.

In the meantime, get in touch with Wilson Lee Flores of Anvil Club with your nominations for their first Courageous Public Servant Award. If Ate Glo really pushes through with her strong republic program she could be it. She, after all, sacrificed her chance to be elected in her own right in 2004 to the greater good of uniting the country and addressing its economic woes. But then again, all the urong sulong of late surely means we should look some more.

Descriptions

Today, we are hearing from Gilbert Jose, a seasoned HR professional who forwarded these descriptions of professionals he has dealt with.

ARCHITECT: Defines someone who was neither macho enough to become an engineer nor gay enough to become a designer.

BANKER: Someone who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining and takes it back when it starts to rain.

CONSULTANT: Someone who uses your wife’s watch, tells you the time, and then charges you for it.

DIPLOMAT: Someone who tells you to go to hell in a way which makes you eager to start the journey.

ECONOMIST: An expert who will know tomorrow why that which he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today.

PESSIMIST: Optimist with experience.

PROGRAMMER: Someone who fixes a problem you didn’t know you had in a way you don’t understand.

PSYCHOLOGIST: Someone who looks at everyone else when an attractive woman enters the room.

STATISTICIAN: Someone who is good with numbers but lacks the personality to be an engineer.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]