Traffic. We Filipinos hate hearing the word, but we can never escape it. We’ve all been stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and we all hate it with a burning passion. Tragically, no one can ever really get away from the traffic. It’s everywhere.
According to a crowd-sourcing global database site, Numbeo, the Philippine ranks 5th among the countries in the world with the worst traffic. Anyone who heard or read the Inquirer’s banner story “I left the office on Sept. 8; I got home on Sept. 9” which was about the monstrous gridlock in Metro Manila, can’t doubt Numbeo’s data.
What causes the seemingly perpetual traffic in our country? The width of the roads and the number of lanes, especially in busy districts, are obvious factors. So is the rush hour madness and the knee-deep floods that prove impassable to most vehicles during rainy days. There are also those numerous road construction projects that simultaneously pop out of nowhere, whether the road required fixing or not.
Let’s also not forget the vehicular accidents that occur with alarming frequency nowadays. Last year, Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) recorded more than 8 thousand road accidents, almost 50 of which ended in death.
The increase of the number of vehicles in Cebu over the past few years is also to blame. The Land and Transportation Office (LTO) disclosed that from January to April 2015, there are 258, 505 registered vehicles in Central Visayas, with 60, 178 in Cebu province alone.
With these numbers, it's little wonder why our roads are so congested.
They say that a developed country is not where the poor have cars; it's where the rich use public transportation. Most booming nations do indeed have an organized and efficient public transportation system that everyone can use without worry. Meanwhile, Cebu is still on the verge of creating the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
Not that our local government hasn't tried to solve our traffic problem even before the BRT planning. The LTO commenced putting up more regulations on the sale and purchase of cars, to control the growing number of private and for hire vehicles.
The Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM), where traffic is heaviest in the city, also implemented a rerouting scheme earlier this year. Rep. Gabriel Luis Quisumbing proposed House Bill 5556 to the Congress. This bill seeks to create the Metro Cebu Traffic Management Authority (MCTMA), a centralized organization that will supervise and regulate traffic in Metro Cebu.
Drivers and cars aren't only ones responsible for the traffic though. The actions and precautions taken by the government won't be much help if commuters and pedestrians won't do their part.
Majority of students in Cebu commute to and from school everyday and must observe road etiquette. We students are among the most affected when traffic strikes.
Contrary to what most people believe, there are things we commuters can do to alleviate, even minutely, the traffic congestion in our country.
Guess who's back?! After slaving myself at work for a few months now, and having to deal with the changes of Cebu's worsening traffic, I couldn't help but write this article. I feel like it shouldn't just be the government working towards the betterment of the traffic conditions, but the citizens as well. I hope this could spread information and awareness to everyone reading, please feel free to comment down below and don't forget to upvote! All the love! xx