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Tag Archives: public transportation
Are transport strikes still effective?
There is supposed to be a transport strike today, after one group, Manibela, declared what they dubbed as a nationwide strike to protest versus the perceived jeepney phase-out and alleged corruption at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). I used the term ‘perceived’ to describe jeepney phase-out because what is actually unfolding or being processed is a rationalization of public transport services. There is also a modernization program where old jeepney units are supposed to be retired and replaced by vehicles that are low emission and higher capacity, among other characteristics. Perhaps one flaw, if you can call it that, is that the new vehicles look nothing like the conventional jeepney. They look like vans and buses. And so somewhat lost here is the classic image of the jeepney, which was heavily influenced by the old WW2 American Jeeps that were the base units that eventually became jeepneys.
This does not resemble a classic jeepney
Fast forward to present and another declared transport strike fizzled out. It turns out that most transport groups did not want to take part for one reason or another. DILG Secretary Abalos even met with the heads of the more established groups and stated that 95% of jeepney operators and drivers will not join the strike. As many LGUs and schools already anticipated the potential impacts of a strike, they already suspended classes and reverted to online work (WFH) and study modes. In previous occasions, LGUs were prepared with a “Libreng Sakay” (free ride) scheme. That meant most people being able to get rides to go to work, school or home. Transport strikes now seem a thing of the past and further into the future, I don’t think they would be an option. The general public see these more as an inconvenience, and social media and a misinformation/fake news machinery at the employ of those in power means a transport sector with legitimate issues will be demonized.
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Reference share – study on transport equity
Here is a quick share of a study report on equity in public transportation from the Mineta Transport Institute:
Defining and Equity in Public Transportation, https://transweb.sjsu.edu/research/2100-Public-Transit-Equity-Metrics-Measurement
Perhaps income, physical ability/disability, age and gender are the more applicable aspects of equity in our case. However, the concepts and methodology in the report may still be applicable and can be customized or contextualized for the Philippine setting.
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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.
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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Tricycle policies in Zamboanga City
I forgot about these photos I took at the driveway of a shopping mall in Zamboanga City. The tarps state the penalties for erring tricycle drivers in the city under a couple of City Ordinances (185 and 485, series or year not stated in the tarp) and the fare matrix based on City Ordinance 416 (series or year also not stated).
Penalties for erring tricycle drivers in Zamboanga City. As stated in the tarp, the typical offenses include: overcharging, refusal to convey passengers, insolent, discourteous or arrogance, undue preferences or unjust discrimination, and operation of motorized tricycle for hire in prohibited areas. It is also clear that the penalties are not just for drivers but the owners/operators of the trikes with erring drivers.
Simple fare calculation stated on the tarp. I assumed there were specific matrices posted in each tricycle but there was none since operations are free-for-all regardless of TODA in the city. That is, trikes in the city practically have no zones of operation where they are restricted or confined similar to what they have in other cities like Olongapo or Quezon City. In the latter, they can issue specific matrices or tables for the passengers’ reference much like what you have in jeepneys that have fixed routes. This can be confusing to passengers and creates situations that may lead to drivers taking advantage and overcharging passengers.
In a city like Zamboanga where there are many one-way streets, tricycle drivers can easily lengthen or appear to lengthen trips leading to overcharging of fares. Where tricycles do not have zones or areas of operations per TODA, this becomes the weakness or flaw even with ordinances in place for erring drivers and a simple fare matrix for passengers’ reference. Of course, regular commuters should be familiar with the usual fares they pay so perhaps that’s among the basis for knowing if you’re being overcharged. Visitors though will likely pay more if the driver consciously takes advantage of the situation. Again, this is a matter for enforcement of the ordinances passed by the city and an example of how such ordinances will be implemented.
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Transport strike again?
There’s a 3-day transport scheduled starting tomorrow when the current President delivers the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA). The reason is reported to be to protest the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). I wrote a 4-part series on these strikes earlier this year and stated that such actions have been diminished over the years especially with government and its agents learning how to use conventional and social media to their advantage. That is, if you have a troll army at your disposal, you will definitely use it and take advantage of the commuting public’s growing perception (as influenced by government’s narratives) that the strikes are unnecessary and based on unfounded gripes. So the blame goes to the drivers and operators and the organizers rather than on the government agencies even despite the legitimate arguments by the former. In this case, it’s supposed to be about PUVMP but most commuters are indifferent about supporting the strike as it can be viewed as vs. modernization of public transport, which people link to improvement (i.e., modernization = improvement).
Here is the link to the last and concluding article in the series:
A brief history of transport strikes – Part 4: impacts and implications
I think my conclusion and the observations I presented in the series still holds. Given the resources and the alternatives to counter the potential impacts of a strike, going through with one presents a likely failure to get support from commuters in general.
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On concert and sports event venues being accessible to transit
Among the major concert or sports event venues in the Philippines, perhaps the Araneta Coliseum is the most accessible to public transportation. Others like the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City is accessible to public transport but only for road-based modes. The Philippine Arena in Bulacan is accessible only by private transport or shuttle vehicles (basically also private as they are leased or rented). Compare this to say Singapore’s National Stadium, Tokyo Dome or Saitama Arena, which are all served by mass transit systems. It was so easy to go to the U2 concert in Singapore or Japan because of this. It was difficult for the same when they came to the Philippines because going to the Philippine Arena required a long drive both ways.
With all the fuss about Taylor Swift’s concert tour, I found this article about how fans or Swifties as they are called get to the concerts – they take public transportation:
Brady, T., Caldera, L. and Worthington, P. (July 14, 2023) “Transit Funding Problems Too Big Even for Taylor Swift to Solve,” Next City, https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/transit-funding-problems-too-big-even-for-taylor-swift-to-solve?utm_source=Next+City+Newsletter&utm_campaign=c480374b80-DailyNL_2023_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fcee5bf7a0-c480374b80-44383929 [Last accessed: 7/19/2023]
To quote from the article:
“And how did the nation’s Swifties get to these concerts? As a recent Crain’s article explains, transit.
Fans took buses and trains to see superstar Swift, adding 43,000 bus and rail rides in Chicago and tripling the number of weekend riders in Atlanta. Her Philadelphia concerts in mid-May brought an estimated 27,000 additional riders to SEPTA’s (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) subway line next to Lincoln Financial field.”
If she held at least one concert here, I’m afraid that concert will generate more car traffic than transit ridership if held at the Philippine Arena. NLEX will definitely generate a lot of toll revenue but traffic will be hell for the event.
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Learning to commute in Singapore
In a recent trip to Singapore, we took advantage of their excellent public transportation system to teach our daughter about commuting using public transport. It will be useful for future travels especially in countries we plan to visit that also have similar transit systems.
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| Descending to the subway station near our hotel |
At the station level, one needs some sense of direction and the layout of the station to know where to get a card or tickets and where to enter the station towards the platforms.
Station and train information are available and very visible in SMRT stations
Network maps help one plan a trip including determining where you can transfer from one line to another. While there can be many transfer stations, the key is to determine the least number of stations as presumably this will lead to less travel time. Offhand, a familiarity with stations may also be useful to determine where it is easier to transfer (i.e., same platform for two lines rather than having to walk, ascend or descend to transfer).
Singapore’s transit system employs ezlink cards for the convenience of commuters. We got one each and its nice that we got these cards with the Doraemon design.
It took only a couple of rides for our daughter to learn how to commute in Singapore. That’s how easy it was and it should be very similar if we’re traveling to Japan or Korea, even Europe at some point. The public transportation in cities in those countries are really good and easy to figure out and use. Hopefully, we can soon take her to learn how to use the LRT in Metro Manila and perhaps also the bus and jeepney. That will be an interesting experience.
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Article share: What Is Bus Rapid Transit?
I found this short article defining and describing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). I include this as a topic under public transportation in one of the graduate courses that I teach. Fortunately, I have materials for lecture coming from previous engagements concerning BRT including lectures by my former adviser who is an expert on public transportation and has studied the BRT in Curitiba, Brazil. Here is the article appearing in Planetizen:
Source: What Is Bus Rapid Transit?
Quoting from the article:
“Bus rapid transit, known as BRT, is a form of transit widely seen by transportation planning professionals and transit officials as a less costly alternative to light rail that offers a significant improvement over other fixed-route bus services that share lanes with regular traffic and makes bus service faster and more reliable.
BRT generally includes dedicated transit-only lanes or busways for at least part of the route, as well as prioritized traffic signal timing. BRT lanes are often located in the center of the roadway to limit interaction with cars, bikes, and pedestrians. In some cases, busways are elevated or underground.”
Definitions are good in that they provide us with a characterization of the system. There are many good examples of BRT particularly in South America (e.g., Curitiba and Bogota). These should be the models to replicate or adopt in Philippine cities rather than what local officials and their consultants propose and/or implement that are basically aberrations of the BRT concept.
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On San Francisco’s cable cars
Here a quick share of an article on San Francisco’s iconic cable cars:
Carren, D. (May 11, 2023) “Why SF cable cars are so iconic: a history,” The Bold Italic, https://thebolditalic.com/why-sf-cable-cars-are-so-iconic-a-history-895e30e50784 [Last accessed: 5/14/2023]
From the article:
“Though a scant remnant of what they once were, the three remaining lines are almost always packed with riders, running every 8 minutes for 16 hours a day, clanking along with a lurch’s awkward grace and an artful clattering. The crowd hangs tight to the handholds and the poles and their hats through hairpin turns, and a daring few lean out with one arm, wildly waving to signal all is still quite well.”
I have been to SF a few times and enjoyed using the cable cars among other modes to go around the city. In fact, in one of our stays in SF, we deliberately booked a hotel close to the end point of one of the lines so we can use it more frequently to go to downtown SF.
San Francisco’s cable cars at the Hyde Street turnabout ca. 2011.
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Caught (up) in traffic 