Motorists experience bumper to bumper at west bound lane in Commonwealth in Quezon City. INQUIRER PHOTO / NI脩O JESUS ORBETA
No parking slot, no car.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday pushed for the passage of his bill that would require proof of parking space before any vehicle purchase, a measure he said he believed would help ease congestion on听 Metro Manila鈥檚 roads.
Senate Bill No. 201, to be called the 鈥淧roof-of-Parking Space Act鈥� once approved, mandates that 鈥渋ndividuals and businesses based within Metro Manila would only be allowed to purchase vehicles after the execution of an affidavit confirming that they have acquired, either through purchase or lease, a parking space for the vehicle being purchased.鈥�
The proposal also requires the Land Transportation Office, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and local governments to undertake frequent checks of major and secondary roads for illegally parked vehicles.
Those caught violating no-parking rules must be punished, said the senator.
鈥淚f passed into law, the Proof-of-Parking Space Act would play a critical role in the Duterte administration鈥檚 push to solve the traffic crisis. This law will help bring discipline back to our streets, for the benefit of vehicle owners and the commuting public,鈥� Gatchalian said in a statement.
Decisive action
He cited the need for 鈥渄ecisive action鈥� against illegally parked vehicles amid the transport crisis, saying he was open to granting President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to deal with the daily headache of Metro commuters.
Illegal parking is among the problems that transportation officials identified as contributing to Metro鈥檚 road congestion on Wednesday, during the Senate committee on public services鈥� preliminary hearing on emergency powers measures.
Already, Metro Manila鈥檚 road network is 3,000 kilometers short to absorb the current vehicle volume in the region, pegged at 2.3 million in 2015, or more than a fourth of the national total.
Possible solutions
Also on Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and other transport officials gave the Senate a rundown of possible solutions to the traffic crisis once the executive is granted emergency powers, among them unifying Metro Manila鈥檚 traffic management under a single authority.
Tugade warned that leaving the problem unresolved would lead to a traffic contagion, with the crisis already seeping into other key cities such as Cebu and Davao.
鈥淚t is happening in Cebu, and it is already starting in Davao. If we don鈥檛 pay attention, what鈥檚 happening on Edsa will be replicated everywhere and anywhere,鈥� Tugade said, referring to the congested highway that serves as the barometer of Metro Manila traffic.
He noted the region鈥檚 current hodge-podge traffic enforcement, with authority divided among the MMDA and Metro Manila鈥檚 17 local government units (LGUs).
鈥淲e need a synchronized traffic system. Remember that traffic management on radial and circumferential roads are borne by the MMDA, but once you turn right or left (into secondary roads), the authority is with the LGUs,鈥� Tugade told the committee on Wednesday.
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Subdivision roads
Tugade also proposed the use of roads in private subdivisions as alternative routes.
鈥淥ur choices for private roads will not be arbitrary or whimsical. That we will not compromise the safety of the subdivision鈥� And we can discuss the matter of road maintenance,鈥� said the official.
The Department of Transportation is also considering the transfer of 27 bus terminals from Edsa. Transportation Undersecretary for Roads and Infrastructure Anne Lontoc noted how buses would occupy two lanes every time they enter or exit terminals, holding up traffic.
She also expressed hopes that future improvements in the transportation system would 鈥渆ncourage car users to use public transport,鈥� thus decreasing vehicle volume.
Giving emergency powers to President Duterte would also speed up the long-delayed release of driver鈥檚 licenses and license plates earlier stopped by court injunctions, Lontoc said.
Other land transport solutions on the table are the use of the bus rapid system, expansion of the point-to-point bus service, and even the use of cable cars.
Air transport
For the equally congested air transport system, officials are looking to ease the 鈥渙verconcentration of flights in Manila鈥� through empowering the Civil Aeronautics Board to redistribute air traffic, said Transportation Undersecretary for the Air Sector Bobby Lim.
The Manila International Airport Authority is also planning to transfer general aviation services鈥攁ir services involving charter, cargo and aviation training鈥攐utside Metro Manila so that the main airport鈥檚 existing infrastructure can be maximized for passenger flights.
Transportation Undersecretary for Rails and Toll Roads Noel Kintanar said emergency powers could help speed up the procurement of spare parts of metro train systems and Philippine National Railways trains, citing current problems on the supply chain that compromise maintenance. TVJ
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