“This alarming ranking is a wake-up call. If we do not address traffic now, it will only worsen as the city grows and develops. Coming up with traffic solutions must be a cornerstone of our city’s development agenda.”
This was stressed on Thursday by former Davao City congressman Karlo Nograles in response to the release of the 2024 TomTom Traffic Index, which revealed that Davao City has leapfrogged Manila and now has the worst traffic in the country—8th worst in the world and worst among all Southeast Asian countries.
According to Nograles, traffic congestion in Davao City “is more than an inconvenience—it’s a roadblock to economic growth. When goods take longer to move, businesses lose money, and our productivity suffers. This issue affects every Dabawenyo, from commuters to entrepreneurs—mayaman at mahirap—and addressing it must be a top priority.”
“We need a City Hall that prioritizes easing traffic congestion because it’s directly tied to our quality of life and our city’s economic competitiveness.”
The former Civil Service Commission Chair lamented that “being ranked as the city with the worst traffic in Southeast Asia and one of the worst in the world sends a troubling signal to investors and visitors. Traffic jams not only cost us time but also limit our city’s economic potential.”
“Gusto natin mag-encourage ng investors para may maayos na trabaho para sa bawat Dabawenyo; pero mahihirapan tayo maghikayat ng mga negosyante kung alam nila na matindi ang problema ng traffic dito sa atin. Davao City deserves better. We need a City Hall that prioritizes easing traffic congestion because it’s directly tied to our quality of life and our city’s economic competitiveness.”
The longtime public servant emphasized that efforts must be invested into finding short-term fixes and long-term solutions to the traffic issue.
“We must focus on both short-term relief and long-term solutions. In the short term, optimizing traffic flow with synchronized traffic lights, efficient traffic enforcement, and improved road infrastructure can help reduce congestion. We also need to explore innovative solutions, such as using technology for traffic monitoring and management, and incentivizing carpooling to reduce the number of vehicles on the road,” said Nograles.
The former legislator, who once chaired the House Committee on Appropriations, committed to allocate financial resources to improving traffic management by beefing up the manpower and capacity of its traffic management force. Financial resources would also be mobilized to come up with public transport solutions as well as urban planning initiatives intended to reduce the use of vehicles.
He explained that “public transport is ultimately at the heart of the solution. Developing an affordable, reliable, and efficient mass transit system will not only reduce traffic but also make commuting more sustainable for Dabawenyos. A comprehensive approach to urban planning must be adopted in order to encourage active transportation like cycling and walking. This can be achieved by building dedicated bike lanes and safer pedestrian pathways so we can help reduce vehicle dependency.”
Per the TomTom index, Davao City residents take almost 33 minutes to travel 10 kilometers. TomTom said the city’s population loses 136 hours—almost six days—at rush hours yearly in Davao City, sixth worst in the world. In terms of congestion level, Davao City ranked third in the world, while Manila placed 27th.
