Manila traffic taking its toll on productivity, competitiveness – ECOP

The traffic congestion now plaguing the streets of Metro Manila is wreaking havoc on workers' productivity and the competitiveness of the enterprises, according to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP).

These are on top of the ill effects of traffic jams have on the health of employees who take public transportation daily to work.

The situation has compelled employers to cope with the situation by adopting measures against traffic congestion.

A number of employers have resorted to flexitime so their workers could avoid the rush hours in their daily commute, Edgardo Lacson, ECOP president, said in response to queries by test message on Wednesday.

He said traffic congestion in Metro Manila has reduced the productivity of workers and the competitiveness of the enterprises.

The traffic is also causing a higher incidence of respiratory problems among employees, he said but did not elaborate.

From the ECOP's point of view,  the deployment of the Highway Patrol Group and 70 percent of the police force could help solve the traffic problem "... as long as it could be sustained without any adverse effect on the crime rate," Lacson noted.

But the traffic enforcers of the Metro Manila Development Authority who were displaced by the HPG must be retained and deployed to make them productive.

Short-term measures

ECOP has recommended the following short-term measures to address the problem:

• Discipline drivers, motorists, commuters and pedestrians by training them on road use protocols.

• Adopt a point system against traffic violators through citation tickets that results in suspension or revocation of a driver's license when the points reach a certain threshold

• Periodic checkups for old vehicles to get a certificate of fitness to prevent avoid and traffic due to stalled vehicles

• Car pooling must be encouraged or mandated through road use fees

• Replace the boundary system for drivers of public vehicles with a fixed-salary compensation and overtime pay to prevent reckless driving and traffic jams from loading and unloading of passengers in the middle of the road

• Disallow provincial buses from plying the streets of Metro Manila by mandating the loading or unloading of passengers only at the city limits

• Encourage the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to be prudent in issuing franchise permits to new bus operators

Long-term solutions

Lacson also recommended long-term solutions like upgrading and widening of roads and expanding and improving Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit systems.

The government must also complete the circumferential road links and connect the C5 to the Skyway as measure to lessen the traffic on EDSA.

Another suggestion is for the government to implement the total rehabilitation and extension of the railway system to allow cargo deliveries by railway cars.

The government could also develop river transport and alternate routes for vehicles, while removing the "colorum" public transport and synchronizing the international transport system, Lacson said. – VS, GMA News