A sensible plan for traffic reduction

IT is quite apparent that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, and specifically the Department of Transportation (DOTr) under Secretary Arthur Tugade, is aware that traffic congestion in and around Metro Manila is a huge, costly problem that should be addressed immediately. The DOTr and its associated agencies like the Metro Manila Development Authority have proposed a number of actions intended to help ease congestion, particularly as the busy holiday season approaches.

There is a growing sense of frustration, however, that the simple, obvious solutions to the traffic mess are being overlooked in favor of lesser measures, such as adjusting the “number coding” rules or adopting a uniform scheme of fines for traffic violations, which do not clearly lead to the rapid, significant improvements the public urgently needs.