The Metro Manila Development Authority assured the public the government was doing its best to address the worsening traffic problem in the National Capital Region.
“The MMDA attempts to control street traffic, but it is all a result of the overcrowding of the metro, so much more needs to be done,” said MMDA spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Pircelyn Pialago.
The agency made the statement following a report from the Asian Development Bank, saying Metro Manila was the most congested city in Asia.
“Congestion arises when demand for travel exceeds the maximum capacity of the transportation network,” the ADB’s Asian Development Outlook stated.
Meanwhile, TMMDA continues to undertake preemptive anti-flood measure in the National Capital Region, its chairman Danilo Lim said.
Lim said there was no letup in the agency’s dredging and desilting operations of drainage systems and creeks which minimize flooding the metropolis.
The dredging operation aimed at reducing the receding time of floodwater in the flood-prone areas.
“Our intensive dredging and cleanup operations in major thoroughfares are continuous all year-round,” he said.
According to Lim, the improper disposal and illegal dumping of garbage remains a major factor why Metro Manila is vulnerable to flooding.
Across the 278 cities, the average citywide congestion was 1.24, which means that on average 24 percent more time is needed to travel during peak hours than off-peak hours.
“We can’t deny the study conducted by ADB considering Metro Manila as the most congested country in Asia. By fact, figures won’t lie that with the presence of 410,000 vehicles traversing EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue), 17 malls, 47 bus terminals, 150 perpendicular roads, number of schools and universities in primary roads, lack of road network and the day time population which is more than 10 million, we are totally congested,” said Pialago.
She added “the congestion of Metro Manila is a result of so many factors, such as the influx of people from the provinces looking for higher wages.”
ADB reported that Metro Manila’s congestion was around 1.5, the highest among the 24 largest cities in the region.
This means commuting or traveling in Metro Manila requires longer time to get from origin to destination. It was followed by Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia with a congestion index of 1.4 and by Yangoon City in Myanmar with an index of 1.38.
“Asia’s cities have been important contributors to economic growth, job creation, and innovation, but this isn’t a foregone conclusion for future decades,” said ADB Chief Economist Mr. Yasuyuki Sawada in an article dated Sept. 25.
He added “Addressing weak infrastructure, congestion, housing, and education and health care services is critical if cities—and their host countries—are to remain dynamic.”
Former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had suggested that the government should develop areas outside the NCR to achieve economic progress and solve the worsening traffic in the metropolis.
“This is the dream plan for Metro Manila. If this will be realized, people from the provinces would no longer crowd Metro Manila to look for jobs because employment opportunities would already be available in their areas,” he said.
The government has been experimenting numerous possible solutions to traffic in Metro Manila roads, that includes the designation of Police Highway Patrol Group personnel and for not allowing provincial buses to enter EDSA.
MMDA officials explained that Metro Manila is still in need of inter-city expressway of 426 kilometers until 2030.
They said the metropolis also needs urban and suburban railways of six main lines with 246 kilometers and five secondary lines with 72 kilometers, respectively, to improve traffic in the Philippines, especially Metro Manila.