"The sooner they are built, the better."
"The sooner they are built, the better."
Walking safely and conveniently from Monumento to Taft might soon be a reality.
The Senate conducted a hearing yesterday morning to discuss the feasibility of proposals to construct elevated walkways along EDSA.
According to live tweets by DZMM Teleradyo’s Michael Delizo, the Senate Committee on Public Works is ready to appropriate P1 billion for the construction of the walkways.
In terms of feasibility, among those who spoke was Metropolitan Manila Development Authority General Manager Jojo Garcia, who said that the problem he foresees with some of the proposed locations, such as Makati-Bonifacio Global City, is the right-of-way issue.
Garcia said the construction of walkways is “doable,” specifically in the Guadalupe to Ortigas route “kasi wala masyadong challenge diyan.”
Also at the hearing, the Department of Transportation proposed the construction of “EDSA Greenways” from Monumento to Taft Avenue, in line with the concept of “transit-oriented development.”
Under the DoTr’s idea, pedestrian networks would be connected to the following light rail stations: Common Station, LRT 1 Balintawak Station, MRT 3 and LRT 2 Cubao Station, MRT 3 Guadalupe Station, and MRT 3 and LRT 1 Taft Station.
Senator Grace Poe already made a walkways proposal so I revisited her bills to get a handle on this very interesting matter that would positively impact in a massive way the lives of commuters in the metro.
Almost exactly three years ago, in the 17th Congress, Poe filed Senate Bill No. 1146, “Sustainable Elevated Walkways Act of 2016.” The act proposes the establishment of a “network of sustainable elevated pedestrian walkways along EDSA and pertinent major public thoroughfares in high-density urban areas.”
The explanatory note to that bill states in part that “A network of elevated walkways is an effective response to overcrowding and urban chaos. As in Hong Kong, aerial pedestrian walkways will portray dense urban areas in a new light.”
Poe added that such walkways are a boon for people moving about in highly congested areas, and can form part of “a larger, more comprehensive solution to the traffic and transport crisis of Metro Manila and affected urban areas.”
She filed the bill again last Aug. 20 as SB No. 930.
Similar measures were proposed by Quezon City Rep. Allan Benedict Reyes, who authored House Bill 3125 or “An Act Creating a Magna Carta of Commuters,” and Senator Francis Pangilinan, who filed the counterpart bill in the Senate.
Reyes said last month that the bill would give pedestrians priority over cars and provide more options for commuters.
“Imagine a walkable EDSA,” he said. “Let’s say you want to go from Cubao to Ortigas. That’s just a short walk. But if we provide a nice walkable, tree-lined probably or elevated walkway why won’t you do that just like in Hong Kong.”
In a recent interview on ANC, Reyes said his bill promotes mobility not only for pedestrians but also cyclists and users of mobility devices such as power wheelchairs.
Both Poe and Reyes cited Hong Kong as an example of a working system of walkways, but to see one in action right here, there’s a short one in Makati that’s already serving the community. The elevated walkway that stretches from the Ayala North Exchange tower to Landmark shows how beneficial such structures are in urban areas.
It’s convenient, accessible, and functional. Because it’s covered, it provides shelter during rainstorms and hot days. I use it frequently for exercise, walking the whole length of it back and forth, and I am able to do my target daily 10,000 steps in a safe, convenient, and efficient way.
I’ve observed the users of the Ayala walkways and they range the gamut from students to professionals to seniors out for an amble. Pedestrians are held in safety above the fray of traffic and the haze of pollution. They make better time walking on the walkways than on the street, where they have to pause to cross and wait for lights to change.
The only beef I see with walkways is the number of exits to street level. The stairs and escalators of the Ayala elevated walkway lead down only to major streets, so I can see why some people still walk on the ground—if you took the walkway, there would be instances where you’d have to double back or walk forward a bit more on the ground to get to your destination. Still, that’s a minor issue.
There should be no debate on whether elevated walkways are bane or boon, clap or crap, yay or nay. Definitely they will count among the best solutions to Manila’s traffic problem and as a feather in this administration’s cap if they get it built within the next three years.
Elevated walkways will decongest the streets. They will usher in enhanced mobility. They will promote exercise, another major plus that will hopefully also generate the long-term result of reducing the incidence of lifestyle diseases among the sedentary urban populace.
The need to pass a law on this is extremely urgent. The sooner we get those walkways built, the better.
A walkable city will also mean more flâneurs—imagine the art that will be created when there are more opportunities to explore the nooks and crannies of the metro! /FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO