The Palace is asking for more understanding with regards to the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila. Last Friday was something else. Being a Friday and a payday weekend, we expected traffic to be really bad. With people wanting to enjoy their hard-earned money by flocking to malls, restaurants and bars, the roads just could not handle the volume.
Some departing passengers were not able to make it to their flights because of the traffic in and around the NAIA. An ongoing Skyway project has impeded the smooth flow of traffic in the area. There were reports of eight-hour long travel times, especially along EDSA and C5. Several large infrastructure projects are ongoing all over Metro Manila, which have effectively altered the normal flow of traffic.
I think the giving of salaries should not be timed on Fridays, as all hell breaks loose on the roads. Perhaps companies can give them after the weekend. That would also help temper the compulsion to spend, teaching people to save. Just a thought. As for the ongoing projects all over, I really think there is nothing we can do about those but suck it all up. Progress does have its share of pain.
I remember when the EDSA flyovers were being built. EDSA used to be one straight highway, interrupted by traffic lights at major intersections. The idea of the flyover was to do away traffic lights, allowing vehicles to keep on going. The premise was that vehicles do not stop and bunch up, causing traffic jams. While construction was ongoing, traffic was indeed bad, as people were not used to large concrete structures in the middle of EDSA. But the jams of those days were nothing compared to the pickle we currently have to endure almost on a daily basis, including weekends.
Cars were not as many in those days. Today, almost everyone has a car that he or she is paying for. Manufacturers have made their vehicles affordable by clever marketing and financing. The entrance of the Chinese brands have made the market more competitive, although I still doubt their quality.
What should also be addressed is the lack of roads. Even the best experts in traffic flow and management all over the world will not be able to effectively come up with a solution, if there are not enough roads to handle the increasing volume of vehicles. Which is why gargantuan projects like the road directly connecting the NLEX and the SLEX would be a godsend, if the government can get it off the ground. Imagine all the vehicles using EDSA just to get to the other expressway would no longer use the principal artery of Metro Manila. That in itself is a big reduction in the volume of vehicles plying EDSA. The government will have to hurdle the right of way issues that will most certainly come up, and with fierce resistance.
Again, pain with progress. Inevitable.