The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said they are already putting the necessary comprehensive traffic management interventions in place as it seeks clarifications on a 2023 study stating that Metro Manila has the worst traffic among 387 metro areas in the world.
In a press conference, MMDA Acting Chairman Atty. Don Artes said that the agency will reach out to those behind the 2023 TomTom Traffic Index to ask them of the methodologies used in the conduct of the study. TomTom is a multinational traffic data provider and location technology specialist.
“We want to know the methodology employed. If there is an actual count and when did they conduct the study,” Artes said.
The MMDA chief cited as example Quezon Avenue, which according to the study was the busiest street in Metro Manila last year.
“We can see that there is a difference between our data and TomTom’s.”
“Per our data, it is still EDSA as Metro Manila’s busiest road based on our regularly conducted actual count. With this alone, we can see that there is a difference between our data and TomTom’s,” the MMDA head said. “Quezon Avenue is only the third busiest road per our data.”
Further, he acknowledged that traffic congestion in the metropolis is a decades-old problem and attributed it to various factors, such as: vehicle volume, lane blockages, diggings and road repairs, ongoing construction of government flagship infrastructure projects, road configuration and conditions, and suspension of the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP).
“Metro Manila has exceeded its carrying capacity for vehicles since it has 3.6 million vehicles on a 5,000-kilometer road network.”
“Metro Manila has exceeded its carrying capacity for vehicles since it has 3.6 million vehicles on a 5,000-kilometer road network. In EDSA alone, there are 400,000+ vehicles traversing the highway daily but its carrying capacity is only for 300,000 vehicles,” Artes explained.
He also factored in illegal parking, illegal structures, and vehicles near school premises as cause of lane blockages, which can also happen during vehicular accidents. MMDA registered more than 70,000 in its partial road crash statistics report for the last year.
Artes also mentioned that a roadway incident causing a 30-minute standstill leads to a traffic backlog spanning 2.5 kilometers and requires approximately 42 minutes to clear, according to JICA-funded study Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan.
He also noted road configuration and conditions in specific areas where there are abrupt transitions from wider and higher number of lanes to narrow lane passages. He cited NAIA-X ramps in front of NAIA terminal 3, and C-5 Kalayaan Avenue.
The temporary restraining order on the NCAP also took a toll in traffic congestion and implementation of necessary traffic rules and regulations to mitigate it. Prior to the announcement of the temporary suspension of the policy last 31 August 2022, there were only 761 recorded apprehensions on that day. Artes said it increased into thousands per month last year.
But despite these factors, Artes said that the agency has ongoing and proposed initiatives to further alleviate the traffic congestion in the metropolis.
He explained the MMDA is planning to deploy covers to keep onlookers or “usiseros” off from slowing down to take photos and videos of accidents. He said the covers are expected to be procured this year.
The agency is also studying the proposed EDSA elevated walkways and has recommended to the Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Transportation that trains which are yet to be constructed will all be subway or underground.
Also part of the current interventions by the agency are the new and improved MMDA Communications and Command Center, JICA-funded improvements in intersections of Metro Manila, Intelligent Transport System (ITS), regular clearing operations conducted by the Special Operations Group-Strike Force.
While Artes said that whole of government approach will be employed, he also appealed to the public to address the problem in traffic.
“Ito po ay inaaral ng kasalukuyang administrasyon. Kami po ay gagawa ng paraan, magtutulong-tulong kami ng iba’t ibang ahensiya ng pamahalaan para i-address ito at huwag nang mag-worsen, at eventually, mabawasan,” he said.
“Kailangan din po namin ng tulong ng mamamayan dahil kailangan po ng disiplina sa lansangan,” Artes appealed.
