MMDA chief says infrastructure, discipline will solve M. Manila’s traffic woes

Amid a ballooning volume of vehicles on Philippine roads, traffic congestion in Metro Manila can still be best solved through two things: continuous infrastructure programs, coupled with a disciplined public.

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Danilo Lim said this on Saturday, following latest estimates that about 450,000 vehicles are projected to be sold by car dealers this year.

Currently, there are already over 2.7 million registered vehicles in Metro Manila, despite having fewer roads accommodating these, according to Lim.

"Yung traffic problem natin ay talagang napakalala. It's a problem of volume. Talagang napakarami ng sasakyan, padami ng padami. Yung mga kalsada natin hindi naman nadadagdagan," Lim said in a media forum in Quezon City.

"Ang solusyon talaga sa problema ng trapiko sa Metro Manila ay infrastructure. Tama itong ginagawa ng ating gobyerno ngayon na 'Build Build Build.' 'Yan talaga ang permanenteng solusyon sa problema ng trapik. 'Pag natapos yang projects na 'yan luluwag ang sitwasyon sa traffic sa Metro Manila," he added.

The Duterte administration has allocated about P8.2 trillion solely for the "golden age of infrastructure" over the next years.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno earlier said that taxes will largely fund the infrastructure program, which includes at least 30 big-ticket projects.

"That's almost 30 percent ng lahat ng registered vehicles sa buong Pilipinas. Yung mga kalasada naman natin dito sa Metro Manila, mga almost 1,200 kilometers, is only 3.6 percent of all the national road network. Ibig sabihin, napakaraming sasakyan na nagsisiksikan dito sa kokonting kalsada," he said.

"Ang problema natin ay volume, itong problemang ito ay hindi nangyari overnight. Ito'y nagpatung-patong, nag-ipun-ipon na problema. Napabayaan, hindi nabigyan ng atensyon over the years," he added.

Lim noted how one can easily purchase a vehicle nowadays.

"Napakadali na kasing maglabas ng sasakyan kasi eh. May konting pang-down ka lang, labas agad. Bukod diyan yung mga lumang lumang sasakyan na basta umaandar nandiyan pa rin sa kalye," he said.

While saying there is no urgent solution to Metro Manila's traffic woes, Lim assured the public that the MMDA would "go back to the basics" by ensuring a stricter implementation of traffic rules and regulations.

"Sa ngayon sa pag-upo ko diyan, I am not offering any complicated or fancy solutions to the traffic problem. But initially let's go back to basics... implementation ng mga batas ng trapiko, traffic rules and regulations, disiplina, kahit paano makakatulong 'yan," he said.

"Kumabaga mai-improve natin konti pero yung problema nandiyan pa rin...yung volume," he added.

Lim called on the public to develop a "culture of discipline."

"Back to basics, disiplina para sa lahat. Let's develop a culture of discipline...Para kahit paano magkaroon tayo ng order sa ating lansangan," he said. — MDM, GMA News