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A real battle of Katipunan – the search for a transportation solution
Is it obvious that I was alluding to the classic match-ups of the two major universities – Ateneo De Manila University and the University of the Philippines Diliman – that are located along Katipunan Avenue for the title of this article? That is deliberate on my part as there is a ‘real’ battle along Katipunan Avenue, and it does not involve sports.
Following is a recent article from the Philippine Collegian that reports on the current state of traffic along the corridor:
https://phkule.org/article/971/private-cars-mainly-to-blame-for-katipunan-traffic-transport-experts
I have written before and many times about transport and traffic along Katipunan Avenue. This road has been part of my daily commute since 1988 when I was admitted to UP Diliman as a B.S. Civil Engineering major. Back then Katipunan was not as wide as it is now, especially along the section between UP Diliman and the MWSS complex. That section only had 2 lanes then. What is not a wide center island with large, old acacia trees used to be the frontage of MWSS. So now you can probably imagine how much land was ceded by MWSS for road widening.
I also wanted to write about Katipunan in part as a sort of farewell to the former MMDA Chair and Marikina Mayor Bayani Fernando (BF), who recently passed away. Much of how Katipunan looks like and the traffic situation today can be traced to what transpired during his time at MMDA. I will refrain from writing about this and him for now. I am actually thinking of writing a series about BF and his time as Mayor in Marikina, as MMDA Chair, and his brief stint as DPWH Secretary. This short article will do for now.
Article share: On the benefits of sidewalk networks
Here is another quick share of an article by Todd Litman on Planetizen. The article contains a lot of information or data about why we should be investing in sidewalks or pedestrian facilities (i.e., for walking).
Litman, T. (August 6, 2023) “Completing Sidewalk Networks: Benefits and Costs,” Planetizen, https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/124999-completing-sidewalk-networks-benefits-and-costs?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news-08142023&mc_cid=cd3b2e2ba5&mc_eid=9ccfe464b1 [Last accessed: 9/23/2023]
To quote from the article:
“Walking is the most basic and universal travel mode, and sidewalks are the most basic walking infrastructure, but they are often overlooked and undervalued in transportation planning. Completing and improving sidewalk networks can help achieve many economic, social and environmental goals.
Recent case studies indicate that typical North American communities spend $30 to $60 annually per capita on sidewalks, and would need to double or triple these spending levels to complete their networks. This is a large increase compared with current pedestrian spending but small compared with what governments and businesses spend on roads and parking facilities, and what motorists spend on their vehicles. Sidewalk funding increases are justified to satisfy ethical and legal requirements, and to achieve various economic, social and environmental goals. There are several possible ways to finance sidewalk improvements. These usually repay their costs thorough savings and benefits.”
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On reducing vehicle travel
This Sunday, I am sharing this article on the reduction of excess vehicle travel. I noted the use of the word ‘excess’ here, which somewhat distinguishes what is excess from what is necessary vehicle (or car) use.
Litman, T. (September 8, 2023) “How to reduce excess vehicle travel,” Planetizen, https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/125445-how-reduce-excess-vehicle-travel?utm_source=Planetizen+Updates&utm_campaign=b3ced8c873-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_08_09_05_38_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-6cce27a957-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=b3ced8c873&mc_eid=9ccfe464b1 [Last accessed: 9/17/2023]
To quote from the article:
“Too often, practitioners undercount and undervalue slower but more affordable, inclusive, and resource-efficient modes such as walking, bicycling, and public transit. This contributes to the self-reinforcing cycle of automobile dependency and sprawl, illustrated below. We have an opportunity to break this cycle by recognizing the unique and important roles that walking, bicycling, and public transit can play in an efficient and equitable transportation system, and the cost efficiency of vehicle travel reduction policies. Telework can help, but only if implemented as part of an integrated program to create a more diverse, efficient and equitable transportation system.”
There is a lot you can pick up from this article, which sheds a light of hope towards addressing the most pressing issues particularly for our daily commutes. Litman is always clear and evidence-based for his discussions. His arguments are very persuasive if only decision-makers are not resistant to the facts about transport.
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On the benefits of walkable communities to pregnant women
I break the series on MCIA Terminal 1 to share this interesting article relating walkable communities to healthier pregnancies:
To quote from the article:
“The study, published in the journal of Economics and Human Biology, found that expectant mothers living in walkable counties tend to engage in more walking and exercise and have fewer issues with premature births, low birth weight, gestational diabetes and hypertension. Walking is often recommended as a safer, more moderate activity for pregnant women, so the authors reasoned that living in a more walkable area could have health benefits for them.”
If you’re interested in the details of the study referred to in the article, here is the link to the paper entitled “You’ll never walk alone – the effects of walkability on pregnancy behaviors and outcomes” in the journal Economics & Human Biology:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2023.101269
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Another look at home location choices
I recently shared an article showing the results of a survey conducted in the US. That survey appears to show that Americans prefer sprawl. But that may be due to many factors including political leanings that are actually mentioned in the article. I share another article that appears to be a reaction to the first one.
Lewyn, M. (August 14, 2023) “Do Americans Really Prefer Sprawl?” Planetizen, https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/125112-do-americans-really-prefer-sprawl?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news-08142023&mc_cid=cd3b2e2ba5&mc_eid=9ccfe464b1 [Last accessed: 8/16/2023]
To quote from the article:
“Why do these surveys yield such drastically different results? The Pew survey notes that 3/4 of rural respondents favor the less walkable alternative; thus, that survey was apparently designed to include a representative sample of Americans, including rural Americans who typically do live in very spread-out environments. It seems to me quite natural that rural Americans would prefer rural lifestyles.
But once rural respondents are excluded, the balance between sprawl and walkable communities in the Pew survey becomes almost a toss-up. 57 percent of urban respondents refer houses with smaller yards and more walkability, and an almost-equal percentage of suburban respondents prefer the opposite.”
Again, I wonder what would be the outcomes if a similar survey were done in the Philippines. Will it reveal preferences for single detached homes rather than condos? Who will prefer the latter or the former? What could be the factors affecting home location choices in the Philippines? Cost is definitely a major factor. Commuting times perhaps and even commuting costs? But how do people weigh these factors? And what other influences are there to the decisions to purchase homes?
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Bike lane master plan for Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) with support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) yesterday formally launched the Bike Lane Master Plan for Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao. Yesterday’s event was actually the third and last leg of presentations, which were also made in Cebu and Davao. Here are a few photos I got from the DOTr Facebook page (these are public):
Printed copies of the master plan were distributed to attendees (Photo: DOTr Facebook page)
Dr. Ricardo Sigua of the National Center for Transportation Studies presented the highlights or key features of the master plan. The UNDP engaged NCTS to conduct the master planning project for DOTr. (Photo: DOTr Facebook page)
Photo op with participants from the MMDA (Photo: DOTr Facebook page)
While the master plan is most welcome as the country continues to build infrastructure for active transport (mainly walking and cycling), the launch is actually one year late. The project was actually completed last year and though most of the recommendations have yet to be carried out, many items including the inventories are already dated. These master plans though should not be static documents but dynamic in these sense that it would have to be updated regularly. For one, updates would provide the opportunity to reinforce or improve certain aspects of the plan. Updates also provide an opportunity to check whether progress is being made on the targets set in the plan. Also, since the master plan is for three metropolitan areas perhaps it can be part of the foundation for a nationwide plan. However, many plans fail if there is not support or scarce resources allocated for the implementation. Thus, there is a need for resources or allotments especially coming from government to support the realization of the plan.
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Article on “Fair Share Transportation Planning”
I am sharing this new article from Todd Litman on fair share transportation planning. The content is relevant and very timely in the Philippines considering many people including and especially transport officials are struggling with the thought of allocating resources to provide or improve facilities geared towards more equitable transport systems (e.g., more facilities for active transport).
Here’s the summary as quoted from the article:
“To be efficient and equitable, a transportation system must serve diverse demands. A diverse transportation system allows travelers to use the most efficient option for each trip—safe walking and bicycling for local errands, efficient public transit when traveling on busy travel corridors, and automobiles when they are truly the most cost-effective mode considering all impact—and it ensures that people who cannot, should not, or prefer not to drive receive their fair share of public investments.
Current transportation planning practices are biased in various ways that overinvest in automobile infrastructure and underinvest in more affordable, inclusive, and efficient modes. It is time for planners to reconsider our analysis methods and funding practices to ensure that non-auto modes, and therefore non-drivers, receive their fair share of transportation resources.
This is not anti-car. Motorists have good reasons to support more investments in non-auto modes that reduce their traffic and parking congestion, reduce their chauffeuring burdens and crash risk, and provide better options when their vehicles are unavailable. Everybody wins from a more diverse and efficient transportation system.”
Shared rides, anyone?
Would you share your ride with other people? This is not the conventional ride-sharing where you drive for someone else (i.e., Grab, Uber, etc.) but refers to a passenger sharing the vehicle he/she booked with another passenger or passengers. This is supposed to reduce the cost of the ride but can lead to more distance traveled as the matching of passengers has not been perfected. That is, it is likely to share a ride with a person heading to a destination that is out of the way of the passenger (in as far as typical routes are concerned).
Walker, J. (May 26, 2023) “Lyft: The End of Shared Rides,” Human Transit, https://humantransit.org/2023/05/lyft-the-end-of-shared-rides.html [Last accessed: 6/12/2023]
To quote from the article:
“I used this service once. On a departure from the airport, it paired my trip with one in a substantially different direction. The other trip was to a point further from the airport than my destination, and yet it served that trip first. I ended up with a travel time about twice what my direct travel time would have been, and much more than the app had estimated. I never used this option again. My impression was that they were overselling the product in contexts where it wasn’t appropriate, and they were offering the same discount to the person dropped off first — whose trip is exactly what it would have been if traveling alone — as to the person whose trip was being made much longer.”
We actually already have shared rides in the Philippines. This is in the form of UV Express (formerly and popularly referred to as FX after the Toyota vehicle model that became popular from the 1990s), which continue to be a popular mode of public transport. Shared rides evolved from a group of people negotiating with FX taxi drivers to take them to a common point or destination (not to their final destinations). At the common destination, the passengers will eventually part ways for their last mile trips. Here is the article on a taxi service that eventually became a shared service I wrote a while back:
That was before there were apps to facilitate the sharing. I think this also showed how people will find ways to overcome problems like a lack of public transportation for their commutes.
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On bicycles as a preferred mode of transport
Sharing this article on bicycles being the perfect mode of transportation. It is framed with respect to the concept of the 15-minute city. Here is the article:
Johnson, R. (April 19, 2023) “Embracing the 15-Minute City: 7 Reasons why Bicycles Are the Perfect Mode of Transportation,” Momentum Mag, https://momentummag.com/embracing-the-15-minute-city-7-reasons-why-bicycles-are-the-perfect-mode-of-transportation/ [Last accessed: 4/29/2023]
To quote from the article:
“Bicycles are aligned with the goals of sustainability and climate action, as they contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and congestion. In a 15-Minute City, where the focus is on creating sustainable and climate-friendly communities, bicycles can be a powerful tool to achieve these objectives. By promoting cycling as a viable transportation option, cities can reduce their carbon footprint, mitigate climate change impacts, and promote a greener and healthier way of living.”
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A brief history of transport strikes – Part 4: impacts and implications
What was supposed to be a week-long transport strike by jeepney drivers and operators was called off yesterday. Frontpage news showed a photo of representatives of protestors with government officials. Government official statements also declare that the government will be talking with the transport sector to sort out issues and to try to address these in relation to the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP). One day earlier, government was quick to state that the strike had no impact on transport. Were there really no impacts?
I think the fact that schools went back to online mode and offices allowed employees to work from home show the impacts of the transport strike. If you haven’t noticed, the government has been using the tactic of cancellation of classes for quite some time now. To reduce the impacts of transport strikes on commuters, classes on all levels were canceled, thereby reducing transport demand. The only difference now is that there is capacity for online classes due to adjustments made during the height of the pandemic. So instead of cancelling classes altogether, schools reverted to online mode. Meanwhile, for those who needed to go to their workplaces and did not have their own vehicles, there were various free rides (libreng sakay) services provided by national and local government agencies. Cities like Quezon City already operated their own bus services so people could take these instead of their usual PUV modes for commuting.
What are the implications of the shortened strike? The shortened strike has various implications. One is that it showed the protesters did not have enough resources to sustain the strike. It also showed that transport leaders appear to just want some attention from government. A colleague commented about this being something like a show or the strike being part of a game of “bad cop, good cop” among government officials and agencies. If you haven’t noticed, this has been going on for some time now. Government already knows how to reduce the potential impacts of protests like this. Suspending classes in schools significantly reduces the travel demand on a typical weekday. Offices giving their employees the option to work from home during the strike also adds to the reduction in travel demand. And libreng sakay vehicles are easier to deploy as agencies and LGUs have vehicles for this purpose. Meanwhile, the continuing rise in motorcycle ownership also contributed to people being able to still commute (i.e., having the motorcycle taxi option). At least for Metro Manila, once the railway projects are completed, there will be a railway option for commutes. Barring a simultaneous strike with buses and vans, protests from the jeepney sector will surely be diminished.
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Caught (up) in traffic 