Words of ‘wheels-dom’
“Life is a highway I wanna ride it all night long”
—Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts
Just like what the rock band Rascal Flatts chorused in its 1991 hit, life itself is a long journey, destination yet unknown. Sometimes we go too fast, at times too slow.
But if we compare life to driving in our congested, chaotic cities, then life does seem to crawl by at a snail’s pace more often than not. A University of British Columbia blog about the Politics of Urban Manila, defines road traffic congestion as a phenomenon that occurs when the number of cars exceeds road capacity, resulting in longer travel times and dramatically slower movement.
The mind tends to get busy when the pace slows down, forming ideas that assign relevance to the situation. Here are some of the more memorable quotes from the thinkers who have been stuck in traffic once too many.
“With all the parallel roads to Edsa inside gated military camps, government offices, subdivisions, cemeteries, the government should start opening these roads. We from the villages should be patriotic enough to share our roads. And we should open up our gates during peak hours. We are part of the problem, we can be part of the solution,” architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. in 2016.
“Sirens and blinkers have evolved from its original design and message of ‘tabi kayo, may emergency po’ into ‘tabi kayo, importanteng tao ako.’”- Raymond Landingin, operations manager of the Citizens Traffic Action, in the 2010 story, “How the ‘wang-wang’ has demeaned real emergencies”
“Hinahanapan ng pera ng asawa (Wife demanding money)… problema sa kabit (trouble with the mistress)… di makasiping ang asawa (Couldn’t sleep with the wife)… delay sa sahod (salary delayed)… walang sahod (no salary)… utang (debts)… pabaon sa anak (allowance of children)… diperensya ng sasakyan na di pa naayos (vehicle problems that haven’t been fixed)… damay sa suspension ng kasamahan na nakagawa ng kasalanan (being suspended because of a colleague’s fault).” – Daisy Jacobo, former LTO Traffic Safety Division Chief, during a 2012 interview, as she reads aloud the written responses of PUV drivers who had recently been involved in road accidents to the question, “what keeps your mind distracted when you’re driving?”
“Filipino drivers have eyes at the back of their heads, even on the sides … (They) have the potential to be competitive in races and rallies. They have this visual sense crucial for precision driving, and I do hope more motorsports activities will be offered to Filipino youths” – Hiroshi Masuoka, “rock star” of the Dakar Rally, on his first impression of Filipino drivers in 2011
“Lamangan”; “isahan” – Dr. Felicitas Soriano, former president of the Philippine Psychiatry Association, in 2007, when asked to describe the Filipino driving mentality.
“We’re suffering from the ‘colonial baggage’ of Intramuros (inside the walls), and Extramuros (outside the walls) from the Spanish times, a segregation of the rich and the poor … King Philip II of Spain decreed that all colonies of Spain must be planned in a similar manner: the town plaza, the church and the city hall. Regardless of income class, Filipinos come together every Sunday—at the market, the church, and the plaza. The downside of it is within the hearing distance of the church bells, only the ilustrados—the rich and powerful—were connected. They were in Intramuros. Outside the Baja de las campanas (Extramuros) were the Indios, the peasants and the Sangleyes. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a 500-year-old concept.” – Felino Palafox Jr, in a 2016 interview, on the worsening traffic in and around Manila.
“The few circuits in the Philippines would allow adults, ambulance drivers, school bus and truck drivers to learn how to drive on specific closed circuits.” – Jean Todt, former president of Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), in 2011 during the United Nations’ Make Roads Safe campaign Manila leg, as he offered a way to satiate Pinoy drivers’ need for speed
“Aside from the stress caused by heavy traffic, there are other health risks our worsening traffic problem poses. That’s why the poor policemen at the street intersection conducting the traffic and the throng of commuters queuing up for their ride, are sources of serious worry for health advocates. Traffic these days can really pose a serious threat to people at risk for heart attack or stroke.” – Cardiologist and Inquirer health columnist Dr. Raffy Castillo, who in 2015 urged that heart defibrillators be placed in strategic locations in traffic prone areas.
“The biggest challenge has always been the impact of the country’s economy on the industry. In my over 30 years of staging car shows, I have gone through several economic ‘roller coaster’ rides and several Presidents, hence several political upheavals impacting the industry. These trained me to devise and revise project plans to ensure that I break even in my car shows, at the very least.” – Sophie delos Santos, in the 2023 story “Women of Power”
“The automotive industry is slowly being penetrated by Chinese auto manufacturers whose high quality vehicles are now comparable if not superior to current car manufacturers and priced much lower than its Japanese, American, or Korean counterparts. This now makes the automotive industry realm more interesting and competitive. Consumers now have a wider choice of vehicles to choose from. (Another) significant trend would be the forthcoming popularity and increasing sales of electric vehicles and hybrids.” – Auto industry veteran businessman Felix Mabilog in 2019
“These alternative mobility modalities (such as e-bikes and e-scooters) are rising in popularity due to convenience and a growing sense of responsibility for the environment. I believe the reason (for the growth of 2-wheelers) is obvious: lack of mass transport and the alarming road congestion. The explosion of shared riding/hailing, such as Grab, UV Express, Angkas, P2P, clearly, this trend is an outcome of the lack of mass transport, and the call for more convenience from the riding public. This was enabled by the increase in technology platforms” – Auto industry expert Vince Socco, describing the rapidly evolving mobility landscape in 2019
“If you can get people to learn how to drive on the track, they might be able to better handle speed than those who have no track experience. Frequently, somebody would get into an accident, especially when it’s wet because they don’t know how to drive a car at speed” – Mandy Eduque, former Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) motor sports director (now AAP Motorsports Committee chairman), in the 2011 story “Train bus drivers on race tracks.”
