EDITORIAL - More taxis only add to traffic woes

The proposal to add 2,500 more taxis in Cebu is meeting stiff opposition from both the city and provincial governments. The proposal was made by tourism and hospitality related establishments who feel there are not enough taxis to meet the needs of their growing clientele. The opposition is in recognition of mounting problems pertaining to traffic conditions.

There are already close to 6,000 taxis in Cebu. Adding 2,500 more is an increase of almost 50 percent the existing number. Meanwhile, a source from a single branch of a leading bank says its loan department is able to approve approximately 200 new car loans every month. And that is just from one branch of one bank. Clearly too many cars are daily joining a road network that has not grown commensurately in decades. Adding more taxis only adds to the problem.

Normally, the disclosure that the tourism and hospitality sectors are in need of more taxis to service a growing clientele is heartening news. It means some sectors of the economy are experiencing a boom. And that can only be welcome. But there is always a trade-off to anything. Satisfying the needs of these sectors can also mean worsening traffic problems not just for a few particular sectors but for everyone.

There is a need to understand that traffic problems do not just mean delays and inconvenience. Traffic problems mean a host of other things as well, many of them much more important than just the delays and inconvenience. Traffic problems can mean wasteful use of energy and heightened pollution of the environment. Stress from getting caught in a jam or exposure to fumes from idling engines can cause very serious health problems.

Traffic problems can also cause decreased productivity, missed appointments, lost opportunities, and skipped classes. Quantified in absolute costs, the losses can very well run up to the billions daily. And that is simply too stiff a price to pay for mismanaging the overall land transportation sector. It is a mismanagement the corrective measures for which must never give in to compromise.

It is, therefore, very deflating to learn that on the matter of the proposal to add 2,500 more taxis to Cebu, the local franchising authority has deemed it wise to send the proposal to its central office in Manila for study. That seems a rather spineless action to take. Why send a matter somewhere else to be studied by someone far removed from where the circumstances of the matter are most palpable and discernible.

The problem is here so it should be studied and settled here. If anything has to be sent to far away Manila, it should be the local decision on a local matter taken by the local office. If there is a crying need to really be deferential to the gods on Mount Olympus, why, just give them a recommendation for approval. Local offices should not act like orphans who cannot do anything outside the orphanage. The local franchising office should assume the problem because it is a local problem.