I got a letter today from the Chief of Staff of the Mayor-elect of Quezon City. I was invited to deliver a presentation on transportation planning in Quezon City before the City Council where the Mayor-elect will be the presiding officer as outgoing Vice Mayor of the city. I still haven’t come up with a draft presentation but am already conceptualizing what I’d want to say before the council.

I will talk about environmentally sustainable transport (EST). I will speak about road traffic safety and the dangerous, killer roads in Quezon City. I will talk about land use planning and its interaction with transport (and vice versa). And though I am tempted to talk about parking, I will definitely talk about traffic impact assessment.

It is important to articulate at the simplest and most understandable terms what transport planning is all about. It is essential that sustainable transport is defined and promoted. Hopefully, the Mayor-elect will respond. Hopefully, the Councilors who will remain will take notice and appreciate the importance of having a well-planned city. Hopefully, they will champion sustainable transport and help spread the word on this through their actions.

I will be joined by colleagues when I go to present my case before the council. We will come in full force and maybe, at least, by our numbers we can show how serious and how important EST will be in solving transport and traffic problems in this part of Metro Manila. Hopefully, we can convince this large and progressive city to become an example that other cities may emulate.

Good luck to us all!