What the heck should we do with the yellow lane?

The first time those late lamented (but not missed, I’m sure) “chocolate boys” on their motorcycles started apprehending every hapless motorist who had the misfortune of wandering into the yellow lane (or bus lane), we have had an aversion to going to the right side – more aptly known via those classic, humongous truck mudguards as “SUICIDE.”

But to be fair, EDSA was a much more dangerous stretch of road in the days before the yellow lane and flyovers.

I would nearly pass out from smoke inhalation in my air-conditioner-free Volkswagen Brasilia as I inched my way through the traffic-snarled intersection of Ortigas Avenue. Travel time from UP Diliman to my home in Mandaluyong was a lifetime and a half.

Commuting was not much relief, either. Buses would wait forever (as they doubtless do now) for passengers, and then fly off like bats from hell to get to the next stop. I never thought I’d live to see my graduation day. Those of you who remember the days of DM Transit – those killers in white and blue – know what I’m talking about.

A bit of trivia: did you know that a DM bus once plowed through a bunch of people waiting for a ride at Boni Avenue? More than 10 were killed, if memory serves me. My late gramps Virgilio Maceda would take this bus line daily to and from Navotas, and, man, you should have heard his war stories.

So, yes, one can make an argument that EDSA is comparatively safer now – but is no means an ideal stretch of road.

That brings us to a crucial question: Is the yellow lane the best we can do?

Just like how I argued for the end of the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, methinks it’s time for change when something has outlived its usefulness.

In the yellow lane’s case, it has long become a source of supplementary income for the traffic enforcers. One is not wrong to suspect that a number of these blue-clad MMDA men are more eager to apprehend violators than to ease traffic.

Speaking of the MMDA, it’s a terrible waste of taxpayer money to keep constructing and dismantling bus bays or stops. Those digital timers that are supposed to keep bus stops orderly are surely as costly as they are useless. Do you think those bus drivers give a fudge?

What further makes the yellow lane irrelevant is that private motorists have started to tune out the MMDA enforcers – because, indeed, of their notoriety for kotong. How many times have you seen cars simply speed away despite the frantic waves of the blue boys?

Much about the yellow lane has also become open to interpretation. Some assume it is okay to enter if it means avoiding traffic on the left (fat chance). Others think you can venture there if you’re going to a destination on your right (such as a building or a road). Yes, by all means. But then again, there are broken lines that ostensibly show you when you can enter the lane. What if it’s too early or too late to use those lines?

I know it must be funny to ask these things, but you have to remember that it is often a losing proposition to explain yourself to an enforcer.

A traffic official said long ago that the priority of an enforcer is to facilitate traffic flow – especially during rush hour. One wonders how many of our friends in uniform take this edict to heart.

So, then, what would be the alternative to the contentious yellow lane?

After everything I said, I would actually vote to keep it, BUT make sure it doesn’t become the joke that it is now. See if you agree with these suggestions:

Prioritize traffic ease. Do not penalize private vehicles going into the lane during rush hours (7-10 a.m., 4-7 p.m.).

Install CCTVs to catch kotong cops and enforcers at key yellow lane locations. This simply cannot be overstressed. It’s easy to spot them. They’re the ones having a lengthy discussion with the bus conductor quite a distance from the bus. Give him a ticket already, for crying out loud! Oh, sorry. They’re still negotiating a price.

Enforce rules for buses. Apprehend those swerving buses that stop in the middle of the road to get and let passengers off. Hit them where it hurts – the franchise, not just the bus drivers. Make a point system where accumulated infractions mean costly penalties – or even suspension.

Nighttime presence. After those enforcers go home, all bets are off. So many accidents occur during this time. Highway police officers must be more vigilant and visible. Catch those racing, swerving buses!

More nighttime visibility. Those reflectors on the lanes are a welcome addition on EDSA. The same principle must be applied uniformly to bus bays. Safety first, indeed. Let no one be hurt or killed by your structures ever again.

Study your homework, dear planners. Sit down and really do the research BEFORE you place bus stops. Then make sure the bus drivers (and commuters) use them. Spend our tax payments wisely, please.

Again, the yellow lane should be more about putting order into EDSA. It’s a sound idea, that’s for sure, yet it has gradually and steadily disintegrated into a cottage industry for the corrupt.

And that’s why people don’t brake for MMDA enforcers.

Here are a couple of Backseat Driver reactions from last week’s Action vs. Reaction by yours truly…

Regarding the Cebu crash; I just hope that those in authority, especially the congressmen and the senators, will not use this to grandstand with their petty ideas and additional useless laws. There are more than enough laws and regulations in place to prevent these accidents from happening, but the political will (and more often than not, the financial capability) is lacking.

Mr. Magsajo is right; the owners of transport companies should be held accountable for the accidents caused by their unsafe vehicles and drivers. The blame starts with the owners; and the public, for doing nothing when they know or see that the vehicle they are in is not roadworthy and/or the driver is driving in an unsafe manner. – bruks_pt

These accidents will continue to happen unless the LTO and the LTFRB will do its job. They should not be just agencies issuing franchise or renewing license and registrations. They must conduct proper inspection on the road worthiness of these transport units. It’s high time that these agencies change the way they perform their duties. We are already in the modern world and everything is going hi-tech but most of our road transport are dilapidated, reconditioned and re-assembled units that the quality of build are not guaranteed. – vito_72