Traffic pa more!

I never doubted General Danny Lim would be a hard working MMDA chairman. His track record shows he is a hands on type of official who sweats it out in the field supervising his people... even when he led a coup.

No wonder he is out there when illegal structures that impede the flow of traffic are dismantled. He is not afraid to confront barangay officials to tell them it is their responsibility to keep the roads clear in their areas.

But it is almost a hopeless case. There are just too many cars and more being added each day while the road network remains the same. The physical problem, plus the lawless drivers and traffic enforcers in our streets, equals the inferno we suffer daily.

I am sure General Danny is frustrated that all he can do now are mere palliatives since the real solution is a civilized mass transport system. Number coding, spreading out office and school schedules and even telecommuting… all seem like rearranging chairs in the Titanic.

We used to have the region's most extensive rail-based mass transport system during the American regime. But all we have now is the decrepit PNR line, LRT 1 and 2 and the unreliable MRT3. JICA experts say they have been proposing to put up a good commuter system for decades and they have spent a lifetime producing studies. But our government simply refused to act.

I know… they just announced they will build a subway system funded by the Japanese. It is a great idea that’s 50 years or so too late. Don’t expect it to be done before Duterte leaves office – no matter what DOTr says.

DOTr under Art Tugade is the same department that said they would need two more years to complete the four kilometers of LRT2 extension whose superstructure is already done. They will only sign the agreement with JICA to conduct the feasibility study of the subway system in November.

A subway is a complicated project, a lot more complicated than the projects DOTr has fumbled implementing in recent years. They are talking a lot about it so people will Dream Dream Dream and forget they are unable to Build Build Build quickly enough.

In the meantime, we have to support General Lim in doing the only things we can do now to make our traffic flow less irritating. We have a disciplinarian in General Lim and I am reasonably hopeful that he will be able to make a mark in the three E’s – enforcement, education, engineering – that is so lacking in our streets.

General Danny started with his own enforcers. He instituted a one strike policy – the first time an enforcer is reported for corruption, he is out. Traffic enforcers, both from the MMDA and the barangays, are not trained and not disciplined and often aggravate the traffic problems.

I hope the General will be able to introduce military style discipline and training to make traffic enforcers credible. For a while, the PNP Highway Patrol troopers were utilized on EDSA, but there are not enough of them to make a difference we can feel on a sustained basis.

I had a brief conversation with General Lim some weeks ago and I suggested that he also starts to discipline the drivers of MMDA accredited tow trucks. They are a menace on the road. They probably think they represent MMDA and, therefore, above the law.

Indeed, it should help that all drivers and helpers in tow trucks be given drug tests. They have to be high on drugs with their kind of driving and behavior. That is why they seem to feel invincible and why they are discourteous to the public.

It is also time to scrap the concept of tow trucks as bounty hunters on the road. They are quick to tow vehicles even if the driver is around and ready to move the vehicle. Issue the driver a ticket for illegal parking, but no towing. It has become a business more than anything else. I am glad the General admonished them to help first and tow later.

There should be some professionalism. Privately owned tow trucks are manned by untrained people who have scratched car bodies and damaged transmissions through recklessness in the towing process. Maybe they should have insurance to cover the damage they cause.

Even before General Lim took over the reins of MMDA, its general manager, Tim Orbos, has started an operation to rid our streets of impediments to allow smoother traffic flow. The tiangge in Baclaran, the service road of Roxas Boulevard appropriated as private parking area, vulcanizing and car repair shops and even Barangay offices, have been dealt with.

But as soon as the backs of MMDA people are turned, they are in “business as usual” mode again. This cat and mouse game has to stop. This is why General Lim admonished the barangay officials to perform their functions too.

More problematic than sidewalk vendors are the politicians of Metro Manila. There are 17 mayors in Metro Manila who all feel they are kings/queens in their localities. Since they are elected and MMDA officials are not, some mayors choose to disregard the MMDA. They carry on as if the problems of the National Capital Region can be addressed independently by each city.

One characteristic that the tough General must develop is how to charm the mayors into cooperating with him. The traffic problem cannot be solved unless every city allows MMDA to coordinate rules and enforcement. It is the same thing in dealing with flood, garbage and health concerns like dengue.

MMDA must also invest in smart traffic management systems.  I know that’s not easy. Even Ayala, the great private sector entity that claims they are a government within their realms, had been unable to synchronize the traffic lights at Fort Bonifacio to ensure smooth traffic flow.

Contact free apprehension of traffic rules violators should be expanded. Once motorists realize they cannot get away with violations, we will begin to have more discipline in our streets.

The 3 Es, enforcement, education and engineering, are all we have to make our streets more civilized.  The only improvement to mass transport we can hope for within the year, if at all, involves MRT 3.

I doubt they can start to use the Chinese made train cars within a year. None of them have gone through the mandatory 5,000 kilometer test.

But even if they start using the new trains, they still have to fix the tracks, the communications system and the power lines along the entire route so the trains can safely run at a decent speed. I am not sure they can do all that in a year.

 Given that the MPIC consortium has been able to quickly rehabilitate the trains in LRT 1, I think the better option is for government to accept a proposal from MPIC to run MRT3 as well. We have suffered enough with government running MRT3. Enough is enough!

In the meantime, let us give General Lim all the support he needs to discipline enforcers, drivers and barangay officials to ensure smoother traffic flow. Even Waze is useless unless secondary streets are free of road obstructions.

My only fear is that the no-nonsense West Pointer will not have the patience required by his seemingly impossible responsibilities. We will have to cover his back and help him do what’s necessary.

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