Congested Katipunan again
During the Christmas break, we were reminded just how Katipunan Avenue can be congested due to the trips generated by the institutions along it. These are mainly the schools such as Ateneo, Miriam and UP. Based on my observations and experiences over the past decades though (I started attending UP in the late 1980s), the main culprit is Ateneo with all the private vehicles it generates for its students in all levels (Grade School, High School and College).
What “normal” traffic looks like on a typical weekday along Katipunan Avenue
My commute during the break is usually under 1 hour (e.g,, 40-50 minutes). But during the times when there’s school, it’s always more than an hour (e.g., 75 to 105 minutes). Will the situation improve? Will there be a mass transit system along C-5 to alleviate the traffic conditions? We can probably hope so but it doesn’t seem to be in the near horizon right now. The Metro Manila subway, after all, is expected to be operational in the 2030s!
–
On street transformations using AI
My social media feed is full of images generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The street transformations are generated using a variety of AI tools. I’ve tried Canva and Gemini in producing similar images of street transformations; an exercise I’ve included in my undergraduate and graduate classes for more than a decade now but using their sketching and software (CAD, Sketch-up, etc.) skills to do the transformations. The photos below show an example of transformation along the University of the Philippines Diliman Academic Oval using Google Gemini.
The original photo I took at the UP Academic Oval
The first attempt at replacing the orange bollards/barriers with something that blended with the campus.
The second attempt showing plant boxes instead of the fence in the previous photo.
I think it’s possible to have excellent transformations of whatever roads or streets there are. One just needs to prompt or instruct the AI well enough to obtain these alternative designs. While the transformations are nice though, context is still important. Many of the transformations circulating on social media call for almost all major streets to be transformed. (Kulang na lang pati expressway gawan ng transformation.) Advocacy is good but context-sensitive solutions require a more constructive and cooperative. It certainly can do without being combative or antagonistic.
–
Ortigas Avenue Extension counterflow
One traffic scheme that has been constant along Ortigas Avenue Extension is the counterflow scheme. The scheme is applied in the mornings for westbound (outbound from Rizal) traffic. It has been implemented for as long as I can remember; perhaps since the early 1980s. One variant before was a form of “Buhos” where eastbound traffic is stopped for several minutes at certain intervals (6:30am, 7:00am, 7:30am and so on), and westbound traffic is allowed to take all the available lanes during the periods.
Considering this scheme has been implemented for more than 4 decades now, there must be some measure of effectiveness there. It is an example where the directional distribution during the peak hours allow for such scheme to be implemented. Note that the scheme pre dates number coding and similar counterflow schemes elsewhere in other major roads in Metro Manila (correct me if I’m wrong).
The scheme though only shows that there should have been a better transport system put in place along the corridor, which has had a steady growth in travel demand. There should have already been a transit line along this corridor a long time ago. What happened? Was it not in the government’s radar? There was a line proposed and shown in various master plans before.
–
On the chronic congestion along Ortigas Avenue Extension
I previously wrote about the counterflow scheme along Ortigas Avenue Extension. While this is usually implemented during the mornings. A similar scheme is not applied in the afternoons or evenings. Apparently, the directional distribution in the afternoons and evenings is not suitable for a counterflow scheme. The photos below show the typical eastbound traffic as seen from the Manggahan Floodway bridge.
Typical weekday evening traffic along Ortigas Avenue Extension
The photos show that the traffic along the opposing direction (westbound) is as heavy as the eastbound traffic. This means a counterflow scheme similar to that in the mornings cannot be implemented during this period.
I have mentioned in the previous article that the corridor already required a mass transit system since the 1980s. Despite the operations of several bus companies over the past decades, these have not been enough (together with jeepneys and vans) to serve the demand along the corridor. It is not uncommon to find so many people stranded along the corridor and waiting to get a ride even during the early mornings. While Lines 2, 3 and 7 were being constructed, people in Rizal who have long endured the traffic along Ortigas Avenue Extension could only wonder why a transit system has not been provided for them. Will the proposed Line 4 be finally constructed? When will it be completed? What could be the traffic impacts of construction considering the limited space available for the construction? Should commuters prepare for more miserable travel once construction is underway?
–
Bus service between UPLB and UP Diliman
Last December, I was supposed to take the bus directly connecting the UP Diliman and Los Banos campuses. I was supposed to attend the annual conference of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines (TSSP) hosted by the UPLB Department of Civil Engineering. I was looking forward to riding the bus being somewhat nostalgic to the Tritran buses I used to ride between the two campuses back in the 1980s and 1990s.
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the conference due to an emergency. So, I will have to wait for the next opportunity to take the bus to Los Banos and back.
–
Just keep on walking
After an eventful end to 2025 and start of 2026, I finally was able to get back to walking. I passed on January 1 as there was a haze that blanketed our area. That was due to the fireworks. With more residents in our village and surrounding areas, there has been an increase in fireworks users the past few years. Last weekend, it was nice to have better air quality for my morning walks.
My average step count decreased last year due to a variety of factors including weather. I intend to start strong again this January and hopefully be able to sustain this for the year. It’s really a good thing for my health and wellbeing. And it’s something I would strongly recommend for others- be more active. Set some time for walking whether it’s in the morning, noon or evening.
–
Good Transit is Fun
Here’s a nice read on how transit or public transportation should be fun. People won’t really use public transportation unless they find utility or value in using it.
Source: Good Transit is Fun
I won’t be quoting from the article this time. I’ll let you read it yourself and digest the content.
Happy Sunday!
After getting engrossed with EDSA, is Marcos Highway next?
If you monitored the news articles and social media post over the past two decades, there seems to be an obsession for EDSA. Circumferential Road 4 is the busiest corridor in Metro Manila, stretching across several jurisdictions including Caloocan, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasay City. Aside from the MMDA, national agencies like the DPWH and DOTr have been heavily involved in traffic schemes and transportation infrastructure development along the corridor. These include variants of the travel demand management (TDM) scheme commonly called number coding. Since the 1990s, there’s the Line 3 and several overpasses/flyovers and underpass that have been constructed along major intersections (e.g., EDSA-Shaw, EDSA-Ortigas, EDSA-Kamuning, EDSA-Quezon Avenue, etc.). Nowadays, people are more into the EDSA carousel and most recently the pavement rehabilitation for EDSA. It seems we failed to realize that EDSA is just one corridor. There are others that also demand attention including those in other parts of the country.
Recently, a “carmaggedon” along Marcos Highway was in the headlines or shall I say was trending in social media. There was a lot of excitement for what has been a recurring nightmare to those residing along the corridor. I recall something worse occurred more than 15 years ago (pre-Ondoy), before social media and influencers and digital creators. At the time, Line 2 terminated at Santolan Station. And even back then, the MMDA insisted on playing with their U-turn scheme. I don’t recall a more in-depth study that could have involved micro-simulation modeling being done for the corridor. And since then, populations and traffic have grown steadily and as I’ve written about previously, the extension of Line 2 to Masinag seems to have had little impact on traffic. And so here we are with the MMDA still insisting on tweaking their U-turn schemes and relying mainly on gut-feel instead of a more scientific approach that may actually lead to more sound solutions for the corridor.
Approach to Marcos Highway from Felix Avenue – that’s the elevated Line 2 superstructure behind the Cainta arch.
Intersection of Marcos Highway, Felix Avenue and Gil Fernando Avenue – there’s a major foot bridge installed here so people can cross at the intersection, which used to be a signalized junction before the MMDA opted for U-turns for Marcos Highway sections under its jurisdiction.
Marcos Highway section fronting the Ayala Feliz Mall – the MMDA has played with the location of the U-turn slots in the vicinity of the Marcos Highway-Amang Rodriguez-J.P. Rizal intersection as they tried to determine the “optimum” locations of these slots.
Of course, there is also the case of Commonwealth Avenue. How many carmaggedons have occurred along that corridor? Isn’t it an everyday thing there? And there’s also Ortigas Avenue Extension and many other roads and streets where congestion seems to have been accepted as the norm. How do we make travel easier for most people? How do we improve commutes given the constraints and realities concerning behavior and choices?
–
A Blessed Christmas to all!
We deviate from our usual topics to greet everyone on this Christmas Day. Maligayang Pasko!
–
Caught (up) in traffic 