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Road crash along Ortigas Avenue Extension leads to Carmaggedon – impacts on traffic
The crash involving a truck, a car and a jeepney last Saturday led to severe traffic jams. Taytay traffic management decided to apply a one way alternating scheme while they were conducting emergency and clearing operations at the site. The result was very long queues along Ortigas Avenue Extension/ Corazon Aquino Avenue.
Travelers were forced to use alternate routes going down from Antipolo. That led to these alternate routes becoming congested as well as streets were generally narrow and were not meant for heavy traffic.
While the crash was severe and probably led to a fatality if not more, there was actually space for two way traffic. There would still be congestion but at least traffic would have been moving instead of at a standstill for long periods of time. While this may appear to be insensitive to those involved in the crash, this is the practical thing to do for traffic management. This is also to lessen the impacts of such crashes on the network and transport operations (i.e., movement of people and goods).
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Road crash along Ortigas Avenue Extension leads to carmaggedon in Antipolo – The crash
A terrible crash across Fibertex along Ortigas Avenue Extension. The outcome most likely led to fatalities given the severity of the crash and the conditions of the vehicles involved. Here are photos my daughter took as we passed the scene of the crash as we headed towards Tikling Junction.
I will write about the aftermath of the crash in the next post.
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Some thoughts on bus transportation for Metro Manila and beyond
There are two recent news items about buses in Metro Manila and adjacent areas:
- A proposed study on bus lanes for Quezon Avenue, Ortigas Avenue and C5
- Bus transport supplement for LRT Line 2
Did you know that there was a Pre-Feasibility for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along several thoroughfares in Metro Manila back in 2007? I am sharing this paper presented at the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines (TSSP) 2014 conference that synthesizes the references including the 2007 Pre-Feasibility Study on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) for Metro Manila (supported by the USAID) and the 2011 Mega Manila Public Transportation Planning Support System (MMPTPSS) Study funded by the then DOTC. I hope these studies, which are still very relevant though no longer recent, can be utilized. There is no need to reinvent the proverbial wheel.
Sigua, R.G. (2014) “Identification of BRT Corridors in Metro Manila,” Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Conference of the Transportation Science Society of the Philippines, Iloilo City.
LRT Line 2 is an example of government not having the foresight of acquiring new rolling stock (i.e., trains) despite passenger demand steadily increasing over the years. Yet here we are and the old train sets are now deteriorating with some already retired. And then there is the proposal and study by the LTFRB and LRTA about buses supplementing the Line 2 operations. A quick check and there is already a bus service supplementing Line 1 – the Antipolo-Cubao route that is also serviced by jeepneys. This existing route can be tweaked or expanded so there are several lines serving not just Antipolo but also other Rizal towns and the City of Marikina. From Cubao there are already jeepney routes parallel to Line 2. Perhaps instead of just jeepneys, these can be rationalized to buses, which have higher capacities than PUJs? I don’t think you need to have a deep dive on this if you are familiar with public transportation along the Line 2 corridor.
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Article share: On bike buses
Here’s a quick share of an article on bike buses. It’s a good idea that can probably be adopted by schools where most or many students live or reside within a ‘bikeable’ distance of the school.
Chudwin, E. (August 28, 2025) “Bike Bus Pedals in New Era of School Transportation,” Planning Magazine. American Planning Association.
I recall that there was an attempt to replicate this in Metro Manila (Quezon City?). However, there is no update on whether that was just a pilot or a one-timer or something that is now a regular thing for school commutes.
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On transport strikes – are they still relevant or effective?
One of my students casually asked me about the effectiveness of transport strikes. I replied that while the strikes may and can raise awareness of the issues being protested, their effectiveness may have been diminished as people have become insensitive not just to them but to many of the issues we face these days. The latter includes the political mess we have that affects everyone regardless of who you side with.
Here is the series I wrote back in March 2023 – “A Brief History of Transport Strikes”:
Part 1: https://d0ctrine.com/2023/03/04/a-brief-history-of-transport-strikes-part-1/
Part 2: https://d0ctrine.com/2023/03/06/a-brief-history-of-transport-strikes-part-2-reasons-for-a-strike/
Part 3: https://d0ctrine.com/2023/03/08/a-brief-history-of-transport-strikes-part-3-advocacy-and-bandwagon/
And then this short piece in October of the same year:
What do you think?
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Philippine Transportation Journal, Vol. 8, No. 1
The latest issue of the Philippine Transportation Journal is out. Volume 8, Number 1 includes five (5) papers derived from the Transportation Science Society’s 2025 conference held in December 2025. PTJ didn’t have a 2025 issue as last year was an EASTS Conference year and TSSP held its 31st Annual Conference in December instead of the usual September or October. Most if not all papers published in PTJ are from the best of the conference including the best paper and best presentation. Authors are given the chance to further refine their papers based on the feedback or comments in the conference sessions, which may be different from the comments received during the review process.
I reproduce below the list of papers in the latest PTJ issue. Three papers are associated with UP Diliman: #2 with the National College of Public Administration and Governance, #3 with the Asian Institute of Tourism, and #4 with the College of Engineering. One paper, #1 is from the University of Asia and the Pacific. The last but not the least, #5, is from UP Los Banos.
1. Empowering Local Government Units in Public Transport Service
Provision through Franchise Policy Reform – SUNIO, V., MANUEL, G., PACHECO, J.A.
2. Optimizing Route-based Fleet Size Computation through Network-Based Modeling for Puerto Princesa City, Philippines – Fajardo, A.C., SANCIANGCO, E., OLLERO, L.J., ALTEA, J.R., CASTILLO, C.A., TIGLAO, N.C., CUNANAN, P., SIPASIP, H.D., TOLENTINO, N.J.
3. Understanding Inland Water Transportation and Its Potential for Tourism: The Case of Navotas – Malabon River Boats in Metro Manila, Philippines – MASONG, G.R., AMIDAO, P.J.M., GUILLEN, M.D.V.
4. Measuring the Traffic Impacts of Tactical Urbanism: A Corridor and Intersection Analysis in Quezon City– MICIANO, M.L., HALIL, J., RAMILLANO, J., SIGUA, R.
5. Comparative Analysis of the Influence of Environmental Awareness on Transportation Mode Choice Between Students of UP Diliman and Ateneo de Manila University – SERIOSA, V.J., REYNOSO, C., LIM, M.B., SUNDO, M.
Here is the link to the PTJ Vol. 8, No. 1: https://ncts.upd.edu.ph/tssp/archives/3319
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U-turn due to inclement weather
I was on my way to the office this morning to check on our buildings and get some lecture materials. I had to go back as the intense rains immediately flooded the roads along the way.
Here are some photos this morning on my way to UP and when we turned back:
Malacanang has again suspended F2F classes and government offices have been advised to be alternative modes of operations. Is this the new normal when we have inclement weather? Are we supposed to be adjusting again and expected to be resilient in these times?
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Commuting through floods
Yesterday’s rains were catastrophic. Reports stated that a week’s rains fell over a period of 2 to 5 hours, depending on where you were in the Mega Manila area. The resulting floods provided misery to people in flood-prone areas as well as those who had to go through the floods on their commutes to their homes. Here are photos from my commute going home yesterday. I relied on Waze for the shortest travel time and the app took me to flooded areas in Cainta. Perhaps it assumed my vehicle can safety navigate the floodwaters?
Flooded street in Gruar Subdivision in Cainta, Rizal
Flooded A. Bonifacio Avenue in Cainta, Rizal towards Taytay, Rizal. This is the main avenue through the heart of Cainta.
Flooded streets in the area leading to Hunters ROTC Street. These residential areas are prone to flooding and children commonly play in the floodwaters – certainly at risk from getting sick from whatever it is in the waters.
This is Ortigas Avenue Extension and on the way up to Antipolo. This area wasn’t flooded before and residents attribute the floods to the high-rise residential buildings and commercial development in the area. That’s actually a lot of run-off not absorbed by a drainage system that’s supposed to have been constructed with the developments. Did the local government of Taytay, Rizal make an evaluation of this before approving the projects?
Is there an end to this flood problem? Are the solutions really being implemented or, as we’ve learned the past so many months, are we being taken for a ride by our so-called leaders and agencies that are supposed to address these problems. People are supposed to be tired of the resilience story being peddled by politicians but the clamor seems to be in social media only and the real people who are lobbying for solutions have to contend with trolls who are also peddling their own narrative for their masters.
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Congestion Costing Reality Check, Part 1: Congestion evaluation best practices
Here’s a quick share of an article from Todd Litman on congestion evaluation:
Widely cited studies claim that traffic congestion is a huge and growing problem. They exaggerate. Let’s examine how to correctly calculate congestion costs and roadway expansion benefits.
Source: Congestion Costing Reality Check, Part 1: Congestion evaluation best practices
Travel time maps for Antipolo City
Yesterday, we facilitated a workshop for Antipolo City where technical staff of the city presented on the outcomes of various activities related to the formulation of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) for the city. One interesting output from one of the groups is this map showing the travel times within selected driving times with the destination being the Antipolo Shrine (“Antipolo Simbahan” if you will refer to the PUV signboards of those plying routes to Antipolo). The maps are the equivalent of travel time contour maps that can be generated with travel speed or travel time data.
While shown are driving times and assuming car use, similar maps can be produced for public transportation, motorcycles, bicycles and even walking. It is just a matter of collecting the data and plotting them. Alternatively, the data can probably be obtained or derived from sources like Google Traffic or Waze. Some effort, of course, is required in order to have more accurate maps especially considering the road network and traffic circulation. Note that the travel times indicated are also centered on the Antipolo Shrine, which for presentation purposes was used to represent the center of the city. Other maps can be produced in aid of planning travel and transportation for the purposes of the city (e.g., how long it takes between Antipolo and Cubao for a regular commute, etc.).
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