I had written earlier about traffic management in Antipolo City. My daily commute allows me to observe transport and traffic in this pilgrimage city east of Metro Manila. For a highly urbanised city (HUC), its traffic management is quite rural or provincial at best with enforcers trying to do their thing based more on gut feel rather than sound knowledge of traffic principles. Intersection traffic management, for example, needs a lot of improvement as enforcers are pre-disposed to apply the buhos approach to dissipating queues that actually lead to longer queues, tremendous delays to travellers, and therefore low levels of service (LOS) at the intersections. The signalised Masinag Junction is probably one of the worst intersections outside of Metro Manila with queues along the south approach (Sumulong Highway from Antipolo) stretching to Mambugan (about 2 km) even on a Saturday. Along the east approach (Marcos Highway from Cogeo) the queues can stretch all the way to Cherry Foodarama supermarket (about 1 km).
Masinag, of course, is a big intersection with heavy traffic due its being the junction for 2 major highways (Marcos and Sumulong) that collect much of traffic from Rizal and Marikina bound for the general direction of Quezon City and Manila. Marcos Highway is the main alternative corridor to Ortigas Avenue, which is itself a very congested road, between the eastern towns and Metro Manila. There are many other problematic intersections in the city, which are mostly unsignalized where traffic is managed manually by enforcers. I’m sure there are some minor intersections that are manageable at most times of the day and may not actually require enforcers if motorists give way to each other. However, there are those intersections that require stricter and more systematic (if not scientific) methods to manage traffic. For example, along roads leading to the Antipolo cathedral where there are a lot of people posing as parking attendants going over to aggressively engage motorists at the intersection. Enforcers routinely turn a blind eye to these people who pose as safety risks along the roads.
Tricycles occupying the outermost lane along Ortigas Ave. Ext. and Oliveros Street at the junction with Sumulong Memorial Circle and just across from the Rizal Provincial Capitol – to exacerbate the situation, jeepneys and UV Express vehicles usually stop in the middle of the road to load/unload passengers. Such informal terminals should not be allowed in these areas considering it is a chokepoint for traffic along these busy roads. So far, enforcers around the capitol seem oblivious to the mayhem caused by these terminals and turn a blind eye to the disruptive manoeuvres of tricycles in the area.
Dangerous intersection along Sumulong Highway – there is road at the right (where a tricycle is coming from) that is used by trucks and other vehicles coming from Marcos Highway. Olalia Road connects to Marcos Highway and there are many residential subdivisions along this road that generate the traffic to and from Marcos and Sumulong Highways.
More on Antipolo traffic soon!
–
Caught (up) in traffic 
Sir/ Madame,
Would you be kind enough to re-kindle or refesh your page regarding this traffic situation at Antipolo Masinag, this is to address antipolo of the kind of system their traffic management is doing. The solution to manage this mayhem is basically simple, Ive been driving this road every single day for the past three decades, way back then the traffic was bearable and “normal”, but by the time this traffic dumb heads started touching this intersection from 1999, it went out worst and much worst today. Again the solution here is quite simple not keeping one lane a green light for almost two minutes and a stop of almost two minutes as well, they do not apply the green light left and straight synchronized too. Amidts weekends they shut own the traffic light and a manual traffic then follows by them, luckily heavier traffic occurs. As a result,it is better they are not around cause the traffic is much lighter than they are there. If we can only tell Antipolo the correct solution to finally put and end to this menace, otherwise if this they intend to continue so that projects will come again over their hands i guess like a road widening or flyover??? This intersection truly is viral and stressing….
The current situation at Masinag junction is worsened by the sheer volume of vehicles. The intersection is already saturated even considering the ongoing road works in the vicinity and the operations of the Line 2 Extension to Masinag. Apparently, Line 2 has not had the positive impact it was intended to have on traffic (i.e., reduced vehicle traffic if people shifted mode of travel to use Line 2).