There are, however, changes in our urbanscape. The old DPWH concrete bridges have given way to the "Bayani" type steel assemblies that seem to be constructed faster than the old concrete ones; at least last year in the run-up to the elections. Of course, all infrastructure seems to be built faster in those periods of our political cycles. Also, the old "Villegas" type of center island planters have given way to pink chicken fences with dire warnings of "Bawal tumawid. Nakamamatay" (Don’t cross. Crossing kills). We are, it seems, considered chickens by our government authorities.
Theoretically, the old concrete ones, which were made with pre-cast girders and steps, could be put together as fast – but steel assemblies seem to be the construction material fashionable today. A thesis study at the College of Architecture at the University of the Philippines has pointed out, however, that these two types of pedestrian bridges are actually not as efficient – in terms of weight to structure size – as suspension bridges (of the kind that renowned Spanish engineer Santiago Calatrava designs). What’s more, this type of bridge, along with several other types of "cable-stayed" ones, is faster to construct, more aesthetically pleasing and cheaper than the ones government is building. Why are we not surprised?
That said, it still is good that many are being constructed and the ones that are up are being used heavily. So heavy is the traffic on certain foot bridges that they have become natural sites for tiangges and street (rather, bridge) commerce. The immediate reaction seeing all this uncontrolled commerce is to sigh "only in the Philippines," but buying and selling on bridges is centuries-old in western cities like London and Venice.
The London Bridge, which was originally constructed in the 12th century, eventually expanded and was filled with buildings and shops. The bridge was continuously rebuilt and improved because foot traffic on the bridge increased every year. These buildings were saved from the disaster of the Great Fire of London of 1666, but after this, it was deemed dangerous to keep them, so the bridge was cleared. In the early 1800s, a new bridge was built, which lasted until the modern era when it was replaced by a new span of steel and concrete (and looks like the post-war Jones Bridge here). The old bridge was eventually demolished and moved piece by piece to Lake Havasu, Arizona. The bridge figured prominently in the novels of Charles Dickens (Great Expectations and David Copperfield).
The other famous shop bridge is the Rialto Bridge or Ponte di Rialto, in Venice, Italy. The smallish bridge spans the Grand Canal, which connects the islands of Rialto and San Marco (Venice is really a whole bunch of islands connected by bridges). The Rialto Bridge was built in the 16th century and it stands today much like it has these past 400 years with arcades lined with shops.
I lived in Singapore for a dozen years and there were two shop-bridges that connected one side of Shenton Way (their Ayala Avenue) to the other. The shops were orderly and pedestrian space was not compromised. There are also examples of these shop-bridges in Hong Kong and other crowded cities.
Where there is a lack of space and heavy traffic, such creative use of space happens. In the Philippines these conditions are everywhere, but most especially in bridges leading to markets. It seems that either all of our markets are inadequate in size or there is no control over hawkers and sidewalk (and bridge walk). You take a guess.
All sorts of merchandise are offered on our bridges – cutlery, shoes, stuffed toys, SIM cards, pirated DVDs, ukay-ukay. Most bridges have a pecking order which belies some organization and most probably a tong system of rent. Sometimes, these goods on offer make for convenient shopping if you’re in a hurry but more often, they get in the way of pedestrian traffic, especially during peak hours. Hawkers even tie up the foot of these bridges and mess up the surrounding areas. Many pedestrians are pushed out into the street below. There ought to be a law to stop all this illegal commerce if only for public safety. Maybe Bayani Fernando can do his "wet rag" operations here.
There also ought to be better planning – when and where to put these bridges along with better design – to see how more efficient and less costly these bridges can be constructed. Maybe Fernando should contact the UP College of Architecture for a look at this academic study mentioned above. We should also try and get all these bridges provided with adequate lighting and shelter (some use Plexiglas, which gets terribly hot during the day).
Oh, and let’s not forget that they should stop advertisers from turning these bridges into billboards. Don’t we have enough of those already?