TUMANGAN, Ma. Estela Leonor Angela P.

CE – 2 / 2019152008
CE122-2 – A26 (1Q2122)
Transportation in Metro Manila
The heavily congested traffic of Metro Manila made me question the effectiveness
of the transportation agencies that supposedly focus on maintaining and making the traffic
in Metro Manila better. Even before the pandemic, the traffic in Metro Manila continues to
be one of the main problems in the metropolis. All I can say about it is that the transport
agencies lack the urban and transport planning. The agencies also lack the determination
and initiative to improve the traffic in the metropolis, evidence of such is the setbacks that
the route rationalization plans met. Moreover, the agencies overlap with each other
causing discordance among the transport law authority and they also lack the technical
competence. Apart from that, 84% of the people in Metro Manila prefers to have a
personal car rather than to commute. This data was collected in 2017 and it is estimated
to cover 5 years in the event that it was collected. Available data from 2011 to 2018 from
the Chamber of Automobile Manufacturers of the Philippines Incorporated (CAMPI)
showed that car sales shot up by 28.9% in 2015 from 90,287 sold units in 2014. Lastly,
the traffic volume exceeds the road capacity. According to the ADB, congestion happens
when the capacity of the transportation network cannot meet the travel demand at a
particular time. In Metro Manila, there are 5 circumferential roads and 10 radial roads that
serve as major thoroughfares. JICA said that each major road is operating at or more
than the carrying capacity to respond to traffic demand. Simply put, there are more
vehicles on the roads than the roads can handle to meet demand, affecting the people's
need to get to their destinations. The transport system also makes operators compete for
passengers. Since public utility jeeps (PUJs) and buses (PUBs) are paid on a commission
basis, this leads to erratic behavior on the roads and the inefficient use of road space, the
World Bank said way back in 2014.
Naturally, transportation planning will greatly help to improve the traffic anywhere
in the world due to the main goal of defining future policies, goals, investments, and spatial
planning designs to prepare for future needs to move people and goods to destinations.
With transportation planning, the civilians will be safer in the road, it will also improve the
security of an area as well as reduce the level of noise caused by the traffic. Moreover, it
will minimize the greenhouse gases in the environment, improve the air quality, improve
transport economic efficiency for transport providers and business users. There’s also
none other than transport engineers that can do all these planning for the betterment of
an area’s transportation. Therefore, as a future engineer, it is I who will solve the problems
in the economy and figure out a plan to solve it as well as to improve the traffic in the
area. Some transportation engineers specialize. For example, traffic engineers plan new
roads or traffic patterns, while railroad engineers plan for high-speed rail service. Some
engineers develop entire transportation systems, including roads, subways, commuter
trains, and buses. Engineers also supervise the construction or repair of transportation
systems. Municipal, county, or state officials hire engineers to develop new transportation
systems or to find alternative routes to relieve congestion on existing highways.
Sometimes the engineers draw up plans for new multilane highways to be built in places
where only local roads exist. In other cities they may decide whether buses or trains can
best provide commuter service.
As for the effect of the pandemic in our transportation, below is the charted image
of aggregated travel behavior across Asia and the Pacific region. National-level data from
Apple and Google datasets are combined to develop regional trends. These overall trends
indicate a steep decrease in trips across different modes and land use patterns—retail
and recreation, essential shopping (groceries and pharmacies), leisure (parks), public
transit stations, and workplaces—from March 2020 and into the first half of April 2020.
This is matched by a proportionate increase in time spent at places of residence. A similar
trend is seen in the relative volume of users’ requests for directions for driving, walking,
and public transit. A rapid reduction is observed across transit stations and transit use.
Toward the end of April to early May 2020, demand gradually recovered across different
trip purposes and travel modes. This coincides with an easing of travel restrictions across
several Asian countries.

As of 10 June 2020, 26% of ADB members had recommended the closing of urban public
transit systems and asked people to stay at home and 19% had a legal requirement to
close urban public transit systems. About 56% of economies allowed urban public transit
systems to continue operating with social distancing guidelines. The number of
restrictions on urban public transit across ADB members peaked between mid-April and
mid-May 2020 and has since gradually declined (refer to the image below). On 10 June
2020, 19% still required the closure of urban public transit.

Restrictions on driving (personal cars) have led to temporary reductions in congestion in

affected cities. The figure below shows how lockdown tended to result in a sharp drop in
congestion levels followed by a gradual increase in 18 Asian cities. The congestion data
follow the urban mobility trends described. Congestion levels have not yet returned to the
levels seen before the COVID-19 outbreak but, as the economy starts to recover, this is
likely to be the case. One lesson that can be drawn from observed data is that a rapid
resurgence of traffic could occur once movement restrictions are lifted. This leaves a very
brief window of opportunity for cities to implement measures to promote the uptake of
low-carbon alternatives to lock in the improved air quality gains achieved during the peak
of global travel and movement
restrictions.
 The institution of ECQ caused a major shift in business and daily life. All non-
essential production and manufacturing was shut down, with malls and businesses
following suit. The transportation industry in the Metro also had to take a pause, with mass
public transport shut down and private transport restricted to local areas only. For
companies that remained open out of necessity transport arrangements had to be made
for essential employees in order to ensure they could make it to work. As the lockdown
extended and became a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), more
private establishments and businesses began to open up. However, despite the gradual
opening up, mass public transportation remained closed. This again put the burden of
transportation on private companies, which according to Presidential Spokesperson
Harry Roque were required to arrange for private shuttles for their employees. If the
shuttle was registered to the company, there would be no need to apply for a permit.
However, if the company rented the services of another shuttle or van service, they would
have to obtain a permit from the LTFRB in order to continue operations.
The Philippine government declared that public transport would resume in two
phases, with new normal protocols including mandatory face mask-wearing and use of
cashless payments. As the transition to GCQ began and more businesses prepared to
open up, Rappler reported that the country could soon see an intensification of the public
transport crisis. In order to follow social distancing guidelines, transport in Metro Manila
would have to be stretched beyond its limits. The Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3), one of
the country’s busiest train lines, was set to operate at only 13% capacity due to new
guidelines. Light Trail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 would only see around 160 passengers
per trip. Additionally, the Philippine National Railway (PNR) connecting other areas in
Luzon to the Metro would only serve 500 people in its 3 to 4-car trains.
Other modes of transportation saw similar reductions in capacity. Buses, Public
Utility Vehicles (PUVs), and Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs) were instructed to operate at
less than 50% capacity. UV Express shuttles were permitted to operate only if they served
up to 9 passengers per trip, while jeepneys could only serve around 10 passengers per
trip, or half their capacity. Reporting by CNN Philippines revealed that 90 buses employed
for MRT augmentation would only have four pick-up and drop-off points along EDSA, the
capital’s major thoroughfare. Taxis and P2P buses were also allowed under certain
restrictions, as well as operations such as GrabCar. However, despite relaxed restrictions
the public transport situation in the Metro is far from adequate. Perhaps the most tragic
example of this inadequacy is the death of a single mother Michelle Silvertino, who
passed away after waiting several days for a bus to take her to her home province. While
an extreme case, Silvertino’s death is only one of the many consequences of a failing
transport system. While the Philippine government has declared a transition to the new
normal, this new normal has presented the Filipino transport sector with new dilemmas.
Following health and safety protocols has led to a reduced capacity and stranded
commuters. As the rest of the world begins moving into a post-COVID-19 era, it remains
to be seen whether the transport industry in the Philippines will manage to catch up or fall
behind.
 Furthermore, international tourism is expected to decline over 70% in 2020 which
brings us back to levels of 30 years ago. Travel and tourism are among the most affected
sectors with a massive fall of international demand amid global travel restrictions
including many borders fully closed, to contain the virus. According to the latest issue of
the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors)
fell by 72% in January-October 2020 over the same period last year, curbed by slow virus
containment, low traveler confidence and important restrictions on travel still in place, due
to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decline in the first ten months of the year represents 900
million fewer international tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2019 which
translates into a loss of US$ 935 billion in export revenues from international
tourism, more than 10 times the loss in 2009 under the impact of the global economic
crisis. Asia and the Pacific saw an 82% decrease in arrivals in January-October 2020.
The Middle East recorded a 73% decline, while Africa saw a 69% drop this ten-month
period. International arrivals in both Europe and the Americas declined by 68%. Data on
international tourism expenditure continues to reflect very weak demand for outbound
travel. However, some large markets such as the United States, Germany and France
have shown some shy signs of recovery in the recent months.
While demand for international travel remains subdued, domestic tourism
continues to grow in several large markets such as China and Russia, where domestic
air travel demand has mostly returned to pre-COVID levels. Based on current trends,
UNWTO expects international arrivals to decline by 70% to 75% for the whole of 2020.
This would mean that international tourism could have returned to levels of 30 years ago.
The estimated decline in internationals tourism in 2020 is equivalent to a loss of about 1
billion arrivals and US$ 1.1 trillion in international tourism receipts. This plunge in
international tourism could result in an estimated economic loss of over US$ 2 trillion in
global GDP, more than 2% of the world’s GDP in 2019. Looking ahead, the
announcement and the roll-out of a
vaccine are expected to gradually
increase consumer confidence and
contribute to ease travel
restrictions. UNWTO’s extended
scenarios for 2021-2024 point to
a rebound in international tourism
by the second half of 2021.
Nonetheless, a return to 2019
levels in terms of international
arrivals could take 2½ to 4 years.
The image beside is an infographic
poster of international tourist
arrivals by region from January to
October 2020.
 An ideal transportation should be multi-modal, multi-modal transit choices are a
fundamental component to a great system. Offering a variety of modes of transportation—
from bus and train to bike, car-share, and taxi—is an ideal way to meet the needs of riders
and boost ridership. With a variety of apps that can integrate both public and private
transit offerings, and even book and pay for services, multi-modal is the future of effective,
convenient transit. Going multi-modal also doesn’t have to increase overall cost that
significantly: suburban areas all over the U.S. are partnering with private ride-hailing
services, like Uber and Lyft, as a way to provide last mile transit at a reduced cost,
increasing overall transit usage. It should also be informative, putting information in the
hands of riders is a sure way to improve rider experience and increase ridership. Waiting
for a bus or train that has an uncertain arrival time makes the wait feel much longer and
prevents people from planning their journeys. A passenger information system that
displays arrival times—updated in real-time—can go a long way to making waits feel
shorter and encourage more customers to trust the transit system. While providing
information at transit stations is important, making real-time information available through
a sophisticated app improves the user experience and allows travelers to plan ahead.
It should be frequent, no one wants to stand on the side of the road for 30 minutes
waiting for a bus. Frequency is one of the most important factors of a great transit system
and has a direct correlation with route efficiency and ridership. In a survey of 3,000
individuals in 17 metropolitan areas, frequency emerged as one of the most important
factors for transit satisfaction. Simply increasing frequency is a very effective way of
improving service and making customers happy. The ability to do this is obviously highly
dependent on available budget, but as mentioned above, multi-modal solutions and
partnerships with ride-hailing services can help increase options when frequency is a
problem. An ideal transportation should be fast, frequent transit means nothing if a string
of buses gets caught in traffic. A good transit system is both fast and frequent. One way
to achieve this is to beat congestion by creating dedicated bus lanes. Dedicated bus lanes
can double, even triple bus speeds, and move more than four times as many passengers
per hour than regular-lane traffic. The faster and more reliable a transit system, the more
people will use it.
Lastly, transportation should be comfortable and safe, comfort is an often-
overlooked foundational component of great public transit. Transit needs to be convenient
and accessible for all users. In a McKinsey survey of transit users, the top ten systems
rated for comfort were fully wheelchair accessible. General comfort and cleanliness are
also important: one study found that comfort (seat quality, ceiling height, leg room) was
one of the most important factors in transit service satisfaction. Of course, overhauling a
transit system isn’t easy, and financial realities so often dictate what can be done.
However, it is worth keeping these six factors in mind. Thanks to innovations like transport
apps and ride-hailing services, the industry is changing, and transit agencies have no
option but to adapt.
REFERENCES:
• Metro Manila’s traffic problem explained (rappler.com)
• What is Transportation Planning? Meaning, Objectives Importance,
(marketing91.com)
• Transportation Engineer Job Description, Career as a Transportation
Engineer, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education
and Training Requirements, Getting the Job - StateUniversity.com
• COVID-19 and Transport in Asia and the Pacific: Guidance Note (adb.org)
• Public Transport Can Bounce Back from COVID-19 with New and Green
Technology, Says ADB | Asian Development Bank
• COVID-19 and Transportation in the Philippines
(daydreaminginparadise.com)
• Will public transportation be enough once Metro Manila is placed under
GCQ? (rappler.com)
• Public transport to resume in 2 phases under general quarantine | ABS-CBN
News
• Workers brave Metro Manila roads as PH relaxes COVID-19 lockdown rules
(cnn.ph)
• Michelle Silvertino: Filipino woman died after waiting days for bus during
coronavirus lockdown - CNN
• UNWTO World Tourism Barometer | Global Tourism Statistics
• Impact assessment of the COVID-19 outbreak on international tourism |
UNWTO
• 6 Key Components to a Great Public Transit System — DDS Wireless