Caught (up) in traffic

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On transportation and floods

July 24, 2024 2:07 pm / Leave a comment

Some people say transport and traffic concerns take a backseat to floods and related concerns, which affect other aspects of our lives aside from our commutes. The heavy rains the past days have rendered many streets impassable to most types of vehicles. That means people cannot go to work, school or come home. Lives are disrupted by floods this way. But even more disruptive and disastrous are the damages brought about by flooding in many communities. Homes are submerged. Properties are damaged, many beyond repair or replacement. There is also the psychological aspect of floods especially for those who will experience them for the first time. These will surely add to the already fragile mental health of people still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As I write, the Marikina River has breached and many areas of Metro Manila and surrounding provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite are flooded. The floods are now being mentioned along with those brought about by Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009.

Here are some photos from the internet being shared by various social media accounts including the official pages of Rappler and Inquirer:

Many roads are impassable to most vehicles. Only large vehicles like this bus would be able to traverse through flood along Ramon Magsaysay Blvd between V. Mapa and Araneta Ave. in Sta. Mesa, Manila. Note the people wading in the waters near the bus.
Situation at the Tumana Bridge connecting Marikina City and Quezon City. The vehicles on the bridge are likely owned by those residing in the communities nearby and parked here to save them from being submerged and damaged by flood waters.
Floods along Taft Avenue have affected establishments there including universities and colleges. Also shown in the photo is the elevated LRT Line 1, which remains operational and perhaps the only mode available to many who need to travel here .

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On the benefits of walkable communities to pregnant women

August 29, 2023 1:56 pm / Leave a comment

I break the series on MCIA Terminal 1 to share this interesting article relating walkable communities to healthier pregnancies:

https://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/news/release/2023/08/17/researchers-find-walkable-communities-are-healthier-both-mom-and-baby

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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Why do we keep widening roads?

January 11, 2023 10:20 am / Leave a comment

I’m just going to share this article here. The article from The NY Times asks a question that has been bugging planners and engineers, particularly those who are in government and perhaps under the agencies like the DPWH, DOTr and NEDA. This also applies to planners, engineers and those from other disciplines involved in transportation infrastructure development and particularly roads or highways.

 

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