The futility of making driving easier

TRAFFIC solutions that make driving easier are bound to fail, as we have seen time and again. A different approach to traffic management is required to deliver more durable and inclusive results.

Since 2019, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have worked on a five-year Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) for Metro Manila. The plan focused on the analysis and removal of traffic bottlenecks, aimed at delivering faster travel for motor vehicles. Project components included capacity building for traffic managers at the MMDA and relevant local government units (LGUs).

Following CTMP implementation, traffic throughout Metro Manila is visibly much worse. There has also been no improvement in road safety as the number of road traffic deaths continues to rise, with incidents now reported almost daily on Metro Manila roads. Despite the lack of success with the first project, the JICA and the MMDA are now embarking on a second traffic management project for our metropolis. The MMDA expects the project to “contribute significantly to easing traffic congestion, enhancing road safety, improving overall transport efficiency.”

There is a fundamental flaw in the JICA-MMDA strategy of “making driving easier” by facilitating vehicle movement. Because of the phenomenon of “induced demand,” more people are attracted to using private cars and motorcycles for their daily travel when driving is easier or when traffic flows faster. The population of cars and motorcycles then increases and soon fills up the available road space.

Before long, roads are even more congested and polluted than before. In the meantime, to create more space for vehicles, sidewalks disappear, bike lanes are removed, ground level pedestrian crossings are erased, vulnerable road users are endangered and people are left with fewer travel choices.

This is the vicious, unending cycle that we are all caught up in: building and widening more roads to solve congestion, but in the process (like an addiction) leaving us more car-dependent and motorcycle-dependent. Of course, if more cars and motorcycles are sold in the Philippine market, repeating this cycle (encouraging this addiction) delivers benefits for some.

A sad example of the damage caused by ill-conceived policies was an episode in August 2023 when the MMDA advised San Juan City to remove the protected bike lanes along Ortigas Ave., citing the guidance in the JICA-sponsored CTMP that “If the road’s traffic capacity near an intersection cannot be maintained, a shared lane without bollards can be introduced.” Unfortunately, this guidance was used by local officials as ample justification for prioritizing the movement of motor vehicles over the safety and welfare of vulnerable road users and for removing the physical barriers along bike lanes, leaving those on bicycles fully exposed to the risk of collision with a motor vehicle.

The removal of the bike lane barriers on Ortigas and similar roads has taken us backwards in so many respects. Previously, despite the heavy traffic on Ortigas, those on bicycles could move safely and efficiently along the corridor. Even when Ortigas was congested with cars, a safe bike lane gave many an attractive and low-cost travel option that promoted health without affecting the environment.

Two years later, we can observe that traffic has not improved on Ortigas. Worse, with the removal of the bike lane barriers and with cyclists facing greater risks, more Filipinos are pushed towards greater dependence on having a private motor vehicle to move around — exactly what we should avoid if we want to reduce traffic.

What should we do to achieve meaningful and lasting improvement in our mobility environment? Transportation thought-leader Russel King, a transport policy strategist, offers the following advice:

“We should be using completely different strategies to reduce congestion. They focus on giving people real choices for getting around. Here’s what actually reduces traffic:

– Better public transport

– Protected bike lanes that feel safe

– Car, bike and scooter sharing

– Remote work policies

– Pricing roads

– Pricing and reducing parking

These solutions often cost far less than road projects. They also create better neighborhoods and cleaner air. Places with good transport choices have less congestion. They spend less money on driving. Their kids can walk or bike to school safely.

By focusing on “making driving easier,” both the JICA and the MMDA ignore directives under the National Transport Policy that declare that public transport, walking and cycling have priority over private motor vehicles on all public roads. They likewise ignore instructions in the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 which state that pedestrians and cyclists should be accorded the highest priority among all road users.

As the JICA and the MMDA launch their second try at improving the traffic conditions in our metropolis, they need to be guided by national government policy, by the lessons of their own experience and by what has worked in other major cities. Forget about making driving easier; we need to give people attractive alternatives to using a private motor vehicle.

Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner and public transport advocate. He is co-convenor of the Move As One Coalition. He can be reached at [email protected] or followed on X @RobertRsiy.