CEBU, Philippines - A couple of weeks ago, an organization, with overall good intentions, collaborated with the lead singer of the main city to test a traffic scheme that would allow motorized and non-motorized vehicles to share existing road infrastructures. They called this experiment the Green Loop. The concept was to give half the road to motor vehicles and the other half to pedestrians, bicycles, skateboarders, rollerbladers and such. This scheme was to encourage people to go the green mile and help save planet earth by choosing pedal power over petrol power.
Now, before anyone thinks that I’m going to join the bashing bandwagon, let me first declare that I am not totally against tree-hugging. I am fully aware of the benefits of reducing fossil fuel emission. With that said, please allow me to tip my two cents into the opinion hat.
In all truth, sharing the road is very much welcome. I am a motorist, commuter and a pedal-pusher, so I know how it feels to be on either side of the fence. As a motorist, we all know how badly congested our roads have become and squishing all motor vehicles into one lane is not going to solve anything. Getting stuck in snarled traffic on a weekend did not help us appreciate the plan at all. Seeing the other lane almost empty didn’t make things any better either. But this, I know, was part of the plan. Showing motorists how wider, and less congested, the roads would be if they switched to human-powered vehicles was the intent. This intent, however, was overlooked by every motorist who eventually got irate over the building congestion.
I would recommend that instead of dedicating half the road, maybe non-motorized vehicles can share one lane instead. Now, before you gather the lynch mob, hear me out. As we are fully aware, there aren’t that many human-powered vehicles that run the roads. Plus, these vehicles aren’t as wide as motorized vehicles. They do not need a six to eight-meter berth to make sure no contact is made. If two cars and a moped can, somehow, squeeze into a single lane, I’m pretty sure six bicycles and four rollerbladers would have no problems sharing eight meters of road. As for the pedestrians, stay off the road. Sidewalks are being widened and beautified especially for you.
As good an idea it is to encourage people to go green, greatly inconveniencing them would not help the cause any. As a fictional character, Dr. Allan Grant, once said, “Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions.” I know that this green mile scheme is a work in progress, and is so much better than no scheme at all. But what this organization, and every other logical individual should push for, is for the city head to stop singing, put down the microphone, and be very strict with traffic laws. If one were to ask how this would be an effective solution, the answer is very simple. With the number of violators committing repeat violations, they would’ve racked up enough violations to be disqualified from ever being issued a driver’s license for three lifetimes. With lesser licensed drivers, this would translate to lesser vehicles on the road.
Going back to the topic, here’s a question I would like to raise. If the Green Loop’s intent is to reduce fossil fuel emission by encouraging people to go pedal power, what happens when motorists decide to scrap their gas guzzlers and go hybrid or fully-electric motor vehicles?