Addressing the traffic crisis . . . decisively and sustainably

Renewed conflict in the Middle East has somewhat dulled the conversation about traffic gridlock.

Nevertheless, traffic congestion continues to be felt in Metro Manila and in Cebu, Davao and Baguio.

“Don’t Waste A Crisis” was an article this author wrote on May 10, 2020, where he said that the temporary reduction in traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic was just the condition needed to implement the much-needed bus traffic reforms he advocated five years earlier.

True enough, the Edsa Busway was soon implemented amid the pandemic crisis with great success.

Now, traffic congestion in the country has once again reached crisis proportions in private car lanes, except on the Edsa Busway, such that it continues to impose severe economic losses, reduce productivity, degrade quality of life and undermine national competitiveness.

A 2012 to 2014 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency estimated that traffic congestion in Metro Manila cost the Philippine economy P2.4 billion in daily economic losses.

This figure has risen significantly over the years, with subsequent estimates indicating losses of P3.5 billion to P4.9 billion per day in 2018 to 2023.

Why does traffic congestion persist in our country?

There are three major congestion management failures that fuel this problem.

The first is the lack of an efficient mass transport system, followed by a car-centric riding public, and then the ineffective travel demand management, where urgent and non-optional travel compete for the limited road space.

A commuter-centric policy was recently declared by President Marcos. This was in line with the National Transport Policy of the National Economic and Development Authority in 2017.

Car-centric policy was shunned, yet private cars still dominate our roads and crowd out our finite road space for mass transit.

The policy should be to move people, not vehicles, per road lane. Mass transport should be attractive enough to induce motorists to shift to it.

A well-managed mass transit network is the second imperative. Mass transit works well when commuters can conveniently walk into it from malls and offices.

Last-mile destinations should be covered at easy transfer stations located nearby. Long feeder lines, such as those bisecting Edsa like Quezon Avenue, Roosevelt, D. Tuazon, Ortigas, Shaw, Ayala and SLEx are prime examples where trunk and feeder lines connections are needed.

Transport demand management is a strategy to reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicle travel, leading to reduced road congestion. Commuters with optional travel times can switch their travel to off-peak hours or to use other modes of transport, such as biking and walking.

A complete transport infrastructure system is required in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities.

This author focused on the traffic problem after the great “8-hour carmageddon” that paralyzed Metro Manila 11 years ago in 2015.

This MAP author advocated the Edsa Busway during the MAP general membership meeting on Aug. 26, 2015. This was implemented five years later in June 2020 by then Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

Bus traffic from the two outermost lanes were transferred to the innermost lane alongside the MRT 3 tracks. This gave authorities better control over the participating bus operators.

Loading and unloading of commuters are done only in designated, dedicated bus stations.

The Edsa Busway restored order and discipline to previously chaotic bus traffic.

Total busway ridership from the Edsa Busway’s initiation in June 2020 to Dec. 31, 2025, reached 341.307 million passengers.

See Also

RCR Q1 profit jumps to P2.4B on asset infusions

All this was accomplished with a budget of less than P1 billion, equivalent to just less than a day of economic losses.

Yet, despite its great success, the Edsa Busway continues to suffer from severe budgetary constraints.

Many of its dedicated passenger stations have not been completed. Large distances between stations and wrong-sided bus doors have compromised passenger safety, convenience and efficiency of bus operation.

The Edsa Busway is a good transport model that should be quickly replicated in other national roads, such as Commonwealth, Quezon Avenue and C5.

On March 2, 2026, the MAP wrote PBBM to inform him of the dire traffic conditions gripping the country. Among the measures the MAP offered was the creation of the Metro Manila Transport Authority with an administrator in charge to establish clear accountability.

Traffic improvement can be sustained with the implementation of the following measures: seamless interconnection of the Edsa Busway and other busways with MRT, LRT; implementation of the long-promised and much-awaited Pasig River Ferry System; improvement of the Mabuhay Lanes and other alternate routes; revamping traffic regulations, such as at the Edsa corner Ortigas intersection to allow more continuous flow of the very long Ortigas traffic.

The government can also employ high occupancy vehicle practices where vehicles with four or more passengers will have priority use of a dedicated lane along the busway;  no parking, loading and unloading areas, particularly in school zones; wider sidewalks along major national roads; resiliency against floods during the typhoon season of national roads; and the construction of parking buildings, particularly at transport hubs.

The completion of big-ticket projects of the government will greatly help sustain the traffic improvement.

Indeed, the MAP believes that, with strong political will, traffic congestion in Metro Manila can be solved.

The author is chair of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) transportation and infrastructure committee. He is the honorary chair of Clairmont Group.