On the fatal Katipunan road crash
The vehicles involved in a recent road crash that killed at least 4 people are still there and parked under the Aurora Flyover. A truck apparently lost its brakes and control and the driver ended up plowing into other motor vehicles, likely trying to gain some control in order to stop the truck. It was reported in news articles that there were 4 immediate fatalities and many suffered serious injuries. We probably won’t know the final fatality count unless someone reports on those hospitalized for injuries.
The crash highlighted again the need for vehicles, especially trucks, to be roadworthy. This time of year, most of these trucks run busy schedules with the logistics requirements. But maintenance is just one part of the problem here as the truck was reported to be speeding. So driver behavior is also a factor and apparently there was no monitoring (having those CCTVs don’t count if they are only used in a passive manner such as for evidence after a road crash had already occurred) or enforcement versus speeding for these large vehicles. Also, was the truck overloaded? This practice may also lead to the deterioration of the truck’s brakes and the vehicle’s mass contributes to the severity of the crash including the damage to other vehicles. The MMDA and LGUs have their work cut out for them to address these road safety concerns.
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From 9-to-5 to Anytime: How Telecommuting Changes the Traffic Game
Here’s a quick share of an article on telecommuting:
Source: From 9-to-5 to Anytime: How Telecommuting Changes the Traffic Game
To quote from the article:
“As we look across these 83 cities, it’s clear that remote work has brought relief to some areas while leaving others just as crowded as before. The cities seeing the most benefit from WFH were those with a flexible, remote-friendly workforce and a supportive economic structure. For fast-growing cities, or those with heavy industry or logistics, WFH alone wasn’t enough to solve congestion.
Telecommuting has no doubt reshaped our roadways, but it’s clear that tackling urban congestion will require more than just a remote work policy. As cities continue to grow and evolve, the future of urban mobility will rely on creative solutions, from smarter infrastructure to updated transit options, to keep America’s cities moving in this new, work-from-anywhere world.”
There are lessons to be learned here for us in the Philippines. Telecommuting is not a new thing here especially considering we have many BPOs operating across the country. Indeed, it is not to be considered as the only solution but one of many we can use to reduce congestion and improve commutes in our towns and cities.
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Shops at the NLEX Petron Lakeshore Station
I think the stop we regularly make whenever we are traveling north whether to Clark or beyond is the Petron Station at Lakeshore. It is not too close to Manila and is just before you transfer to SCTEX. Before, there were few establishments here so fewer people used to stop here. Now there are more but not as crowded as other stops that even have outlet shops.
There are more shops now including those selling local products for souvenirs and fruits.
There are many selling food and drinks for quick meals of travelers.
There are many choices for eating now aside from the established cafes and restaurants like McDonald’s, Razon’s, Bonchon, and Starbucks. One can get supplies from the Petron shop at the station.
There is also a shop selling home decor and tiangge types selling clothes.
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Mt. Arayat – the Lonely Mountain
A trip north will usually bring travelers to see a lonely mountain, actually a volcano, that is Mt. Arayat. Located in Pampanga province, you can see Mt. Arayat clearly as you traverse the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). The volcano is actually visible even from afar on a clear day. I have shared photos of it from our village in Antipolo, Rizal.
Mt. Arayat as viewed from the NLEX viaduct. On the foreground is the Candaba Swamps
Another view of the ‘extinct’ volcano dominating the Pampanga landscape. Is it really extinct or perhaps just waiting to be awakened by a force of nature? That was how Mt. Pinatubo became active after a powerful earthquake a year before its big eruption.
I have seen the Mt. Arayat up close on a few occasions. One such time and perhaps the closest I’ve seen it was when we traveled along its foot to get to a wake in a far off Nueva Ecija town. There are actually many plantations or farms around it and along its slopes.
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Off to Baguio
I’m off to Baguio City after more than 8 years. Though it’s not the first time to use all three expressways (NLEX, SCTEX and TPLEX) going there, I am curious about the developments along the way. TPLEX now extends all the way to Rosario, La Union. Also, there should be a lot of changes already in Baguio city especially after the pandemic and the projects of the current mayor. The latter includes a more people-friendly Session Road that I have yet to see for myself.
I will try to share photos and updates on this trip in future posts even while in Baguio. The city is a sentimental place for me as my first major project after graduating from university was there. And I had experienced walking around the city on many occasions.
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Planning for True Transportation Affordability: Beyond Common Misconceptions
How much do we spend on transportation as part of our budgets? Is it 5% of your monthly budget? Is it 10%? Or is it eating up a substantial part of what you’re earning?
Source: Planning for True Transportation Affordability: Beyond Common Misconceptions
To quote from the article:
“This research indicates that many common policies favor expensive transportation and housing over lower-cost alternatives, which drives the cost of living beyond what is affordable, leaving too little money to purchase other necessities. The result is immiseration: growing stress, unhappiness, and discontent.
The solution is simple: planning should favor affordable over expensive modes and compact development over sprawl. This is not to suggest that automobile travel is bad and should be eliminated. Many people are justifiably proud of being able to afford a nice car, and automobiles are the most efficient option for some trips. However, automobile travel requires far more resources and is far more expensive than other modes, typically by an order of magnitude, so true affordability requires an efficient, multimodal transportation system that allows travelers to choose the options that truly reflect their needs and preferences.
Affordability requires a new economic paradigm; rather than trying to increase incomes or subsidies we need to increase affordability and efficiency so households can satisfy their basic needs consuming fewer resources and spending less money. Our planning should be guided by a new goal: how can we help families be poor but happy.”
I share this article because it provides a more complete narrative and assessment than those just focusing on transport. Home choice locations and affordable housing are part of the equation. Looking at transport alone can be myopic and leads us to think it is the only problem to solve.
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Neutrality for public utility vehicles
I had written recently about how politicians are now using public utility vehicles for their premature campaigns. Promoting themselves illegally and ahead of the official campaign period. Today, I saw many modern jeepneys bearing posters of various politicians and party lists. Many of these PUVs are either private companies or cooperatives (i.e., in the case of modern jeepneys). I will not post their photos here as I don’t want to be inadvertently promoting these people and party lists. Instead here is an example of public transportation that does not promote any particular person or personality but instead speaks for a program that’s contributing to improve the commutes of people:
Quezon City’s buses don’t have any campaign materials posted on them.
Quezon City’s Bus Service Program is a good example of how a local government unit that has resources and the capability can help provide public transportation services to its constituents. It is a good example of what LGUs can do if they have the will, the capability, the capacity and the guidance for such initiatives. Of course, they should have good leaders who will support these endeavors and who do not have to put their faces and names on these programs.
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On Transit Oriented Development’s impact on air quality
Here is a quick share of an article on transit oriented development (TOD) and its impacts on the way we travel or commute as well as to our health:
Austin, M. (November 25, 2024) “Transit-Oriented Housing Development Is Great For Density and Walkability. What About Air Quality?” Next City, https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/transit-oriented-housing-development-air-quality-freeway-pollution [Last accessed: 11/28/2024]
To quote from the article:
“We know that creating transit-oriented districts can have major public health benefits: By concentrating mixed-use development near public transit, residents’ mobility and access to food and services increase, without the need to drive.
But for optimal public health outcomes, it’s essential for planning practitioners to guide decision-makers about the harmful effects of locating housing along freeways and arterials — areas where land is often the easiest to develop. We must implement policies and design strategies that avoid repeating past mistakes and jeopardizing residents’ health.”
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Are transportation issues election issues in the Philippines?
Are transportation issues in the Philippines? Or are these issues at the local level? Here is an article about how transportation issues were brought to light and were actual topics in the ballot in Los Angele, California in the US:
Tu, M. (November 25, 2024 ) “Bike, Bus and Pedestrian Improvements Won the Vote in L.A. How Did Advocates Pull It Off? “ Next City, https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/bike-bus-pedestrian-improvements-healthy-streets-los-angeles-ballot?utm_source=Next+City+Newsletter&utm_campaign=532838ef65-DailyNL_2024_11_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fcee5bf7a0-532838ef65-44383929 [Last accessed: 11/26/2024]
The three lessons in the article are:
- Build a coalition – “In the lead-up to the election in March, Streets For All successfully secured endorsements from unions, climate organizations and business groups that saw the vision for safer streets.”
- Safety wins – “We could make climate arguments, we could make equity arguments, but the thing that felt the most bulletproof to us and the most empathetic to the general Angeleno was just road safety,”
- Keep it simple – “…simple messages were the most effective. Vredevoogd fought for one billboard on Vermont Avenue that read “In 2022, more pedestrians died on Vermont Avenue than in the state of Vermont.”
Los Angeles or LA as many people fondly call the city is well known for being car-centric (as opposed to San Francisco to the north, which is more transit-oriented). Perhaps we can learn from this experience though I know there are already groups and coalitions lobbying for better transportation in the Philippines. Are they successful and to what extent are they succeeding? Granted there are different situations and conditions, even modalities, to engage politicians, there are also so-called party list groups claiming to represent the transport sector but none appear to be really standing up for issues like improving public transport or road safety. And so the challenge is still there for people to make transportation issues election issues in the country.
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On the future of transportation – some history lessons
I found this interesting article that basically is a history lesson on transportation systems and infrastructure:
Dillard, G. (October 21, 2024) “Our infrastructure is Not Our Destiny,” Medium.com, https://medium.com/the-new-climate/our-infrastructure-is-not-our-destiny-6d7f8355144a [Last accessed: 11/17/2024]
To quote from the article:
“We’ll never build out a network of electric-car charging stations, they say, or How could we possibly replace all of these highways with mass transit? But the infrastructure that dominates our world today once seemed impossible, until it didn’t…
As we begin to imagine a new way of organizing our economy, let’s remember that infrastructure isn’t destiny, nor is it forever. Today, our fossil-fuel present may feel like the only “practical” way to do things — just as the canals, and then the railroads, once felt like the only possibility.
So the next time a transition away from cars, fossil fuels, and the other technologies that dominate our world seems impossible, think about Hermon Bronson and Robert Fulton, who surely thought that canals were the infrastructure of the future. They were wrong, and so are the people who tell us that it’s impossible or impractical to build a greener world.”
Perhaps we can take a look at our transportation infrastructure development history and the way it’s going now. It would be good to contextualize all those planned tollways and inter-island bridges against what is really most urgent these days (i.e., mass transit, active transport for our rapidly growing cities). I’ve always stated here about how some infra are nice to have but aren’t as urgent as others that need more push and support and will be utilized by and benefit more than fewer people.
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Caught (up) in traffic 