Motorcycle lanes – a few comments
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recently established motorcycle lanes along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City and Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City. The main intention is to reduce crashes involving motorcycles by attempting to segregate them from other vehicles in traffic. Following are a few photos I took this afternoon along Commonwealth where I observed the MMDA painting blue lines to mark the motorcycle lane. In this case, the lane is the 4th from the outer edge (shoulder) of the highway.
Newly painted blue lines mark the motorcycle lanes. Photo shows riders following the new policy, probably knowing that getting apprehended will lead to a 15-minute lecture on motorcycle safety. Such a penalty will only be applicable this week when the MMDA is implementing a dry-run of the policy. From Monday next week, the penalty would be a 500-peso fine for every apprehension.
Pavement markings for the motorcycle lane along Commonwealth. Note that the lane is quite close to the lanes designated for public utility vehicles like jeepneys and buses. This situation creates a high potential for the occurrence of crashes involving motorcycles and PUVs. Of particular concern is the behavior of PUVs, especially buses that tend to encroach upon the lanes to the left of the PUV lanes including the motorcycle lane. Another issue is the fact that private vehicles are allowed along the motorcycle lanes and not just for maneuvering. I share the opinion of riders that motorcycle lanes should be for motorcycles only.
First battery swap program for E-jeepney
I am posting a press release from the proponents of the electric jeepney about the first battery swap program launch this morning. The program will allow for the continuous operations of the e-jeepney in Makati, extending its operating hours as they are no longer limited by the depletion of their batteries. This program will surely have a significant impact on how e-vehicles (not just e-jeepneys) are deployed and presents a model for local government units who are at least curious about having the electric vehicles (perhaps) to replace conventional public transport in their respective cities. This should be a game-changer in the promotion of EST in the Philippines.
Electric jeepney fleet proponent pioneers country’s first battery swap program
(October 19, Manila) The pioneer of the country’s first electric jeepney fleet unveiled this morning an innovative battery swap scheme which its proponents expect “to dramatically improve the efficiency and revenue generation of eJeepney operators.” Over thirty guests, including 22 British volunteers headed to Bohol on Friday for climate change solidarity work, graced the occasion.
“With a little practice, we expect the battery change to take the whole of 10 minutes, which is like a common stop in a gasoline station. The previous eight-hour charging process becomes a thing of the past with this program. It means eJeepney drivers can use their vehicles for a longer period and reduce battery depreciation as well,” said iCSC executive director Red Constantino.
Constantino said “green aims must be coupled with robust economic benefits. We anticipate double earnings for operators, which is superb since we’re already saving a huge amount just because we’re using electricity instead of gasoline to power the vehicles.”
The Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, which owns and operates the celebrated eJeepney fleet in Makati City, designed and fabricated the battery program with the support of the British Embassy in Manila. Also known as iCSC, the group is implementing the program in partnership with private sector groups Ejeepney Transport Corp (EJTC) and Motolite.
The scheme is based on a simple roll-off, roll-on logistical set-up, using eJeepneys retrofitted with battery trays and a battery loading bay at the eJeepney depot. A dispatcher rolls out spent battery sets of an eJeepney and replaces it with a fully charged set through a palette lifter manufactured by iCSC.
“Ejeepneys represent carry huge business potential and improvements in operations such as this scheme can create new revenue streams for groups interested not just in eJeepney operations but in battery leasing as well,” said the CEO of EJTC, Yuri Sarmiento.
“We are with you not as passengers but as partners. Together, we can steer our way to a brighter, more sustainable and prosperous future,” said Trevor Lewis, the British Embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission in remarks made during the event.
“Our company is determined to invest in the future of this country and we are elated to be part of this venture,” said Arnold Sarmiento, who represented leading Philippine battery manufacturer Oriental Motolite.
The battery swapping project aims to accelerate the expansion of electric public utility vehicle applications in the Philippines by increasing the operating time of electric jeepney fleets while reducing time used to charge eJeepney batteries. The pilot test period will take place from October 19, 2011 to February 14, 2012. Partners in the initiative hope data from the project can promote a more rapid transition to low carbon transport in the Philippines.
The battery swapping system is located in Makati City’s Fire Station, the site of the country’s first battery-charging station for electric vehicles. Ejeepney units plying the country’s first two routes – the Legazpi Village loop and the Salcedo Village loop — will utilize the battery swap pilot system, which will be run by iCSC, EJTC, Motolite and Makati City jointly.
“We thank the British Embassy in Manila for their support of the city’s endeavors. We are committed to build a low carbon future together with climate change-resilient development,” said Makati City transportation consultant Ernie Camarillo.
iCSC works on fair climate policy and innovative energy solutions for localities. It is the pioneer of the Climate-Friendly Cities project, which integrates sustainable waste management and renewable energy generation with electric public transport alternatives.
Railways in Luzon – Main Line South
In a previous post, I talked about the recent developments concerning the PNR and provided an historical perspective of railway development in Luzon Island, particularly focusing on the Main Line North and its branches. The MLN, of course, is no longer operating with proverbial nail in the coffin hammered by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, when lahar buried much of what was left of the lines in Pangasinan, Tarlac and Pampanga. Various initiatives have been put forward since the 1990’s to revive a portion of the MLN but in the form of a rail service connecting Clark with Manila. This is the Northrail project that has seen so much anticipation because of its promise of finally reviving railways for Central Luzon by providing access to what is being touted as the future main international airport at Clark, the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA). The continuing saga concerning what seems to be a struggle in putting up Northrail is certainly worth another post. Meanwhile, we focus on the Main Line South for today’s feature. The figure below illustrates the extent of the MLS, significant sections of which have been rehabilitated.
The PNR Main Line South (Source: PNR)
The MLS was constructed starting in the early 1900’s and can be quite tricky to establish given that many refer to it also by another familiar name: the “Bicol Express.” The invention of the latter term though was only applicable from 1938 when the first trains finally traversed the entire stretch from Manila to Legaspi, Albay. Construction for the southern line and its branches started in Manila and included the rail developments in Batangas, Cavite and Laguna that was later extended all the way to Aloneros in Guinayangan, Quezon. From here, it finally linked up with a line that started construction in Legaspi and proceeded northwards along the Bicol region until Ragay, Camarines Sur. (Reference: Corpuz, 1999 and PNR)
- The Main Line South started from Manila and covers practically the same route as today’s commuter and Bicol line all the way to Quezon and the Bicol Region. Construction started from two points representing the end stations of Manila and Legaspi with the northern segment terminating at Aloneros (Guinayangan, Quezon) and the southern segment at Ragay, Camarines Sur. The gap was eventually connected through Tagkawaya, Quezon in 1938.
- The Cavite Line ran from Manila to Naic via Paranaque and Bacoor for a total of 44 km, and was completed in 1908. The line was eventually abandoned in 1936.
- The Canlubang Branch is 7 km and emanated from what is currently the commuter line from Mamatid in Cabuyao, Laguna. It was completed in 1909.
- The Santa Cruz Branch started from Calamba and extended to Sta. Cruz and terminated at Pagsanjan, Laguna for a total of 46 km. Completed in 1912, continued contruction towards the towns of Rizal could have realized a railway line connecting the coastal towns of Laguna De Bay.
- The Batangas Branch is a 43 km network from Luta in what is now Malvar, Batangas to Bauan via Lipa and Batangas City. Completed in 1912, the Batangas-Bauan segment was abandoned in 1936.
PNR Field Trip in 2003 – Part 3
At the end of our field visit to the PNR yard in Tutuban, our group was treated to a free ride to the Buendia (Gil Puyat Ave.) Station. Some of us sat on the last car so we were afforded a view of the railway tracks and the environment along the PNR right of way. The result is a set of photos that I like to call “a peep into the train’s backdoor.”
At the time, there were no rehabilitation work along the commuter line and one could clearly see the state of the tracks that could easily lead to derailment. Communities were dangerously close to the tracks as many informal settlers have encroached upon the PNR ROW. There is even a makeshift basketball court in the middle of the tracks. Thus, trains moved quite slowly partly because of the tracks and partly because of the people, mostly children who routinely cross the path of the train.
People have set up benches between the tracks and tambays are often found drinking or gambling, of the dangers posed by the trains.
Absent at the time were the trolleys that serve as informal transportation for communities along the line. These trolleys were generally human-powered, pushed by their operators and taking advantage of the the tracks and the unseen slopes to generate momentum and speed. These trolleys were light enough that they could easily be removed in case a train happened to be passing. I have photos of trolleys from my trip to Bicol that I will be including in future posts.
It is said that the state of a country is clearly reflected in the conditions or situation of its transportation system. I guess the photo above gives us a pretty good picture of where the Philippines is right now if only we can deduce the essential elements from the photo. We have children wandering about and not getting the education they need to become productive members of society. This, despite primary and secondary eduction being free and compulsory. We have a problem concerning waste disposal that definitely has environmental consequences, not to mention a contribution to the perennial problems of flooding. We also have a housing problem where affordable, well-located housing is generally unavailable thereby attracting people to informal settlements. In the latter case, some settlements seem to be encouraged by local politicians if not local governments as they provide cheap votes come election time. And of course, there’s our transport system that needs a lot of attention if only to fix the results of failures in transport planning.
Need I say more?
PNR Field Trip in 2003 – Part 2
During the field in 2003, we also visited the PNR yard in Tutuban. The original central station/terminal of the PNR was already lost to what is now the Tutuban Mall. Perhaps in the near future, the PNR would again have a central terminal with architecture evoking its glory days. I’ve always imagined something that looks like what is Tokyo Station today. After all, stations of what was the PNR Main Line North featured red bricks.
At the PNR yard in Tutuban, one could see what were operational and abandoned rolling stock and other equipment. Notice the roofs of the passengers cars? The roofs were modified because informal settlers were throwing their garbage and other wastes on top of the cars. The reasoning for the modification was that the wastes would just slide down. There’s some anecdotal evidence that the settlers also did their own adjustments by tying two plastic bags of garbage and hurling the two in such a way that the two bags would be on either side of the roof.
A turnout at the PNR yard – turnouts allow for the diversion of trains from one set of tracks to another. It has three basic components: switches, acute angle or vee crossings (also known as “frogs”), and obtuse angle crossings. Visible in this photo is the frog at the middle of the picture and the check rails across from either side of the frog.
Every wonder how the switches are activated so trains can transfer from one set of tracks to another? The contraption on the left is a lever that moves the rails for the trains to switch tracks. Of course the LRT and MRT lines use a more modern version of these devices so trains can transfer tracks once reaching the end of the lines.
PNR staff working to secure the rails to the railroad ties (sleepers or traviesa) – it may look pathetic but the PNR was really so ill-equipped that they had to use manual drills to make holes on the wooden sleepers and then hammer the spikes (shown in the foreground) to the ties. Note the man with the big hammer on the left waiting for his turn to work. Since then, the PNR has changed many of these sleepers so we see mostly concrete ties in their places. Many sleepers were stolen not just along abandoned tracks in the north and central Luzon but those along active tracks as well. These were sold as construction material, garden accessories or even accents for houses, offices or restaurants.
PNR Field Trip in 2003 – Part 1
I found some old photos from a field trip at the PNR we organized for our students back in 2003. I remember we had a big delegation composed of senior undergraduate students of Civil Engineering, senior Tourism students, and graduate students taking up MS Civil Engineering and MA Transportation Planning. The PNR was very kind to accommodate us and explain to the students how the company was making ends meet at the time. Many of us faculty and technical staff who were still fresh out of our stints in Japan were saddened by the state of the PNR and could only utter words of support and encouragement to its management. We are now quite happy that there has been significant progress in the past few years for both the commuter line and Main Line South.
Following are a few photos from that 2003 field trip:
Students gathered around an old bogey under maintenance at the PNR facilities. The two people on the right in the photo are Dr. Dayo Montalbo of the School of Urban and Regional Planning and Dr. Val Teodoro who was senior technical staff with the NCTS at the time.
Taking a closer look at a bogey with the detached cars in the background. The state of PNR rolling stock at the time was a depressing sight considering what was once a proud company.
A look at the maintenance facilities at PNR Caloocan. This is a far cry from the modern facilities we later saw at the LRT 2 Depot in Santolan, which was only recently opened at the time.
Barbells? These are the trains’ wheels. Other spare parts are in the background. To the untrained eye, the area where they keep the spare parts looks like a scene in a junk shop.
Locomotive coming in for maintenance. PNR rolling stock at the time have seen better days and required a lot of work in order to keep the trains running. Passenger share of the PNR was insignificant due to its often irregular service at the time, partly due to the conditions of its rolling stock and partly, too, because of the conditions of the tracks.
Students and their teachers during a light moment beside locomotives undergoing maintenance in the PNR garage.
More photos on the field trip in a succeeding post.
Railways in Luzon – Main Line North
With the recent re-opening of the railway line from Metro Manila to Naga City in Camarines Sur, railway enthusiasts and old passengers alike have been quite excited about the prospect of finally having trains for travel between Metro Manila and the Bicol Region. I believe that the rehabilitation of the commuter line to the south as well as rail facilities all the way to Legazpi City, Albay should be prioritized especially considering that such services will provide a very attractive alternative to road-based or air transport. The recent donations of rolling stock from Japan are also encouraging developments though, of course, such trains are old models and may have already seen better days while in operation in Japan’s busy railway systems. Yet, with the way JR maintains its trains, these units should run for a few more years as long as PNR take care of them.
A good source for the railway history in the Philippines, including the time when it was still known as the Manila Railroad Company. is the Philippine National Railways where one can also research on old photos and maps. There are also old reports relating operational matters as well as plans for the railways. A handy reference would be the work of Arturo G. Corpuz entitled “The Colonial Iron Horse: Railroads and Regional Development in the Philippines 1875-1935,” published by the U.P. Press in 1999. Copies of the book are still available with the U.P. Press at U.P. Diliman.
Railroad lines of the then Manila Railroad Company (source: PNR, 1992)
The entire network consisted of two main lines (Main Line North and Main Line South) and their branches. The railway lines to the north of what is now Metro Manila included the following:
- The Main Line North, which stretched from Manila to San Fernando, La Union for a total of 260 km, started construction in 1887 with the section until Dagupan starting operations in 1892. The section until San Fernando was opened in 1929.
- The Cabanatuan Line started from Bigaa, Bulacan and was completed in 1905 for a stretch of 9 km.
- The 7 km Stotsenburg Line from Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga was completed in 1903. This served what was then known as Fort Stotsenburg that eventually became Clark Airbase (It is now the Clark Freeport.)
- The 6 km Camp One Line started from San Fabian, Pangasinan was opened in 1908 but was abandoned in 1914. It was reconstructed to Binday (now part of San Fabian) in 1937. The end of this line would have been a jump-off point for travelers heading to the “summer capital” of Baguio City.
- The Tayug Branch stretched from Paniqui, Tarlac to San Quintin, Pangasinan on the border with Nueva Ecija for a total of 29 km with the service to San Quintin opened in 1918.
- The Magalang Branch was a 9 km railway emanating from Dau and was opened in 1907.
- The Floridablanca Branch stretches from San Fernando, Pampanga to Carmen (now part of Floridablanca, Pampanga) over 20 km. The branch to Floridablanca opened in 1908 and the one to Carmen in 1919.
- The Arayat Branch also starts from San Fernando, Pampanga and ends the town of Arayat 20 km away. This opened in 1914.
- The San Jose Line was the last extension of the MLN from what is now Tarlac City to San Jose, Nueva Ecija through the town of Guimba and the now Science City of Munoz. The line stretched for a total of 55 km and was completed in 1939, just before World War 2 and the Japanese occupation.
Coastal Roads in Quezon
While traveling between Metro Manila and Naga City in the Camarines Sur, I took the opportunity of taking photos of sections along the coastal roads in the towns of Quezon Province. These include roads in the towns of Atimonan, Gumaca and Atimonan, which face the waters of Lamon Bay, which in turn joins waters of the Philippine Sea as well as the Pacific Ocean. I have old photos of coastal roads on the other side of the province on the Bondoc Peninsula and will feature them in another post.
An old tire placed along the sea wall to advertise “vulcanizing” services to motorists, particularly truckers passing along this highway. “Vulcanizing,” of course is the term used for various services concerning ones tires. The shoulder stretching along the seawall serves as parking spaces for trucks plying routes along the Pan-Philippine Highway.
A peek at a small harbor located at the mouth of a river – there are many small ports located along Philippine coastlines. In some towns, there are several including those serving fishermen rather than passengers. One can see the lighthouse at some distance from the bridge where I took a quick shot.
There are many stores and eateries along the road and many travelers can choose among the carenderias or turu-turo’s. I haven’t tried eating at any of these eateries along this route but during field work, we routinely check out where we can have lunch or merienda. In some cases, you can even have viand cooked for you if you don’t like what’s being offered on the counter (often it’s just pots or pans containing various viands for the selection of the customer). For such seaside towns and barrios, I assume there’s a good supply of fish that can be cooked a number of ways.
Many stores have their usual customers (suki) among truckers. The wide shoulders provide for parking spaces but these may also bring about some hazards especially at night, and when the trucks are maneuvering. The excellent pavement conditions, and the level and straight sections can induce drivers to speed up along these roads, and such contributes to increased risk of road crashes.
I imagine it must be nice to live along the coast with a good view of the sea and with fresh air coming in from the east (Pacific Ocean). But then I am reminded of the typhoons that generally come from this direction. Quezon is one of the provinces that’s regularly on the roll call for when typhoon signals are announced.
In cases where the water is not deep enough for the larger vessels or bancas, piers are constructed. Such serve not only fishermen but people living in islands of the coast in Lamon Bay.
Some sections of the road have no inhabitants and can be quite dark at night given there are no lamp posts along the highway.
Typical pier serving large, motorized bancas serving as ferries to islands and other coastal towns. Such maritime transport are often advised to stay at port during inclement weather as they are not as sturdy as they look. Notice the outriggers that serve to stabilize the vessels as they encounter waves in the open sea.
Port of Atimonan – the construction of this port was supported by funds from the Government of Japan. Most ports are under the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), which is an agency under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
Undergraduate research topics on transportation 2011-2012
The Institute of Civil Engineering of the University of the Philippines Diliman is conducting its undergraduate research colloquium today. Expected to present are students who are either at the proposal stage or completing their research. Topics being completed are the following:
- Analysis of Road Accidents Involving Children Below 15 Years Old
- Analysis of the Impact of Billboards on Road Accidents Along EDSA
- Assessment of the Parking Management System in Shopping Malls
- In-Depth Comparative Analysis of Female and Male Bus Drivers for Public Transport in Metro Manila
Meanwhile, topics being proposed are the following:
- Accident Risk by Mode of Public Road-Based Passenger Transport in Metro Manila
- Analysis of Operations of Electric Tricycles
- Applicability of Unconventional Transit Systems in Selected Metropolitan Areas in the Philippines
- Assessment of the Philippine National Railways Commuter Line Services
- Assessment of the Re-Introduction of Traffic Signal at the University Avenue-Commonwealth Avenue Intersection
- Development of a Public Transport Information System for the UP Diliman Campus
- Estimating Ridership for a Proposed Public Transport System for UP Diliman
- Measuring Delay Caused by U-turn as Traffic Control Facility
- Quantitative Assessment of Road Safety Initiatives Along EDSA
- Travel Time Estimation of Jeepneys: The Case of University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City
The coverage of undergraduate research this year concerns mainly public transportation and road traffic safety but with one topic dealing primarily with traffic engineering. It is hoped that these researches would be able to answer certain nagging questions pertaining to transport and traffic particularly where safety and efficiency are concerned. In the case of topics on mass transport such as those on the PNR commuter services and the applicability of unconventional systems such as the automated guideway transit (AGT) and the monorail, the potential outcomes may actually be able to address questions that concern alternatives or options to road-based transport. This is essential and presently a very relevant issue given the shortcomings in transport infrastructure in many Philippine cities and the current efforts exploring the possibility and feasibility of systems that will alleviate congestion and address travel demand. Overall, such researches are targeted towards contributing to the body of knowledge that should serve as inputs to the formulation of solutions suitable for the Philippine setting.
Intelligent Transport for the Philippines
The development of an App by the MMDA for use by travelers in Metro Manila is definitely a step in the right direction and represents a breathe of fresh air for the otherwise stale and irritating smog derived from the traffic. Such tools allow for travelers to be informed of the traffic conditions The app is in a sense actually quite crude considering that it is dependent on the observations of MMDA personnel from live feeds from cameras installed along roads throughout Metro Manila, as well as inputs from motorists including Tweets or Facebook messages. The results are often subjective because of the interpretation though quite accurate due to verification made via CCTV. Thus, it employs a more basic approach than what is already being used in other countries such as Japan, the UK and Germany, where traffic conditions are determined using probe cars or systems that are no longer subject to human observation or interpretation.
Vehicles equipped with GPS and communications systems much like the ones already used by the leading logistics companies to track their vehicles now routinely send information about location and such data can be used to construct real-time maps that, if compiled for 24 hours and all throughout the year, may provide a more automated and objective approach to providing travel information. Only incidents like road crashes would then require special treatment. A variation of this type of application of ITS would have been implemented for the MMDA’s bus dispatching for EDSA a couple of years ago using RFID technology to monitor the progression of bus travel along the highway. Unfortunately, after meeting opposition from the transport sector and experiencing some glitches, the project never went underway. Sayang!
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) has been available for quite some time now with the 1st World Congress held in1994 in Paris, France. Since then, the developments in ICT have been quite rapid though costs seem to have only reduced significantly in the past 5 years. One reason why ITS has not been able to grab a foothold in many countries is the prohibitive costs of many systems that are supposed to have more significant impacts on transport and traffic in their cities. With more resources and tools becoming available, and with many people able to acquire or access some form of tech (e.g., cell phone, internet), ITS has become available to many people though it is not necessarily cheap (how much is an iPhone?). While Metro Manila could probably afford to make investments for ITS, other cities will not have the resources for such, opting instead to put their money where it is more needed (or so we hope and assume).
Wikipedia provides a pretty decent description of ITS as derived from several sources. Depending on the reference, ITS typically has four functional components:
• Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS)
• Advanced Public Transport Systems (APTS)
• Advanced Vehicle Control Systems (AVCS)
• Commercial Vehicle Operations Systems (CVO)
A fifth one, Advanced Traffic Information Systems (ATIS), is supposed to be embedded or integrated with the four. The MMDA app falls under ATIS and has applications for ATMS and potentially APTS. Leading logistics companies including local ones already employ ATIS for CVO.
I had an opportunity last year to talk about ITS when I was invited to present at the Smarter Cities Summit sponsored by IBM Philippines in December. A pdf of the presentation is found below:
SmarterCities – Transport and Traffic
ITS applications in the Philippines include the very basic ones like the parking management systems now used by shopping malls to inform about the availability of parking spaces to the more comprehensive ones like the electronic toll collection systems of NLEX and SLEX, and the SCATS traffic signal control system of Cebu City. Vehicle manufacturers now routinely use ITS in many vehicles including those sold in the Philippines. These include information on fuel consumption displayed on the dashboard, proximity alarms, and many already have navigation systems as options when purchasing the vehicle.
The 18th ITS World Congress will be held in Orlando, Florida, USA later this month. It promises to again provide participants with a taste of what has been deployed so far and how effective these systems are in addressing traffic problems. Companies participating in the congress would also be displaying products under development and perhaps postulate what can be done in the near future using technology for leverage in solving issues on transport and traffic. It should be noted, however, that ITS remains a tool that would be effective only if both authorities and stakeholders also address the roots of the transport and traffic problems in this country. Dependence on ITS alone will have very limited impacts compared to more comprehensive programs for managing transport demand and supply. Nevertheless, ITS presents a powerful tool that can tremendously enhance traditional solutions. In fact, the “full potential” for ITS combined with traditional TDM and TSM is regularly on display in Singapore with its Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) scheme. But that’s another story.
Caught (up) in traffic 