It’s about that time again when the national conversation – or, at least, what we in Manila call the “national” conversation – shifts towards transportation options.
We had almost three years where road congestion oscillated between “non-existent” and “not as bad as before” – only for a deluge of Christmas parties, mall sales and an overall return to “normal” to remind us that we still have these problems. Add to that social media posts from the likes of journalist Atom Araullo and podcaster Inka Magnaye – and the resulting conversation, or heated argument, depending on how much you feel about things – and we are reminded once again of how important our ability to move around and go wherever we please is, and how woefully limited our available options are.
Sure, there are efforts to improve our transportation networks, making not just the actual trip, but the experiences in between, pleasant and hassle-free. But my observations from years of writing about public transportation and public mobility remain. Sure, there are flagship initiatives at the national and local level, from both the public and private sectors – new airports, new rail lines, new elevated highways – but these somehow manage to not add up to a cohesive transportation system. In some cases they have led to additional problems for travelers.
Maybe it is too soon to tell considering how some of these projects, like the Metro Manila Subway, have just started construction, but others have made commuting a worse experience. Take the EDSA Bus Carousel and how it has actually reduced options for commuters by reducing bus stops. Yes, that’s the point, but if commuters have to walk for 20 to 30 minutes to their nearest bus stop, they’ll have no choice but to take more expensive options like taxis or TNVS services – and even they are in short supply.
And even then these projects leave behind some of our critical gateways. Araullo’s tweets were about how the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is virtually unserved by public transportation. Frankly, it’s a disgrace how we have focused on expanding that airport’s capacity without making transfers in and out of the airport – and between terminals – easy, or even existent. The NAIA Expressway serves car users, but does little to cater for tourists and business travelers who may not have a ride waiting for them upon arrival. One can easily get a taxi or a train out of HKIA or Changi or Taoyuan or Incheon, but not here.
(Before you say “but they’ll be replacing NAIA anyway with a much better airport”, let me ask you this: how exactly will passengers move in and out of the proposed New Manila International Airport in Bulakan? The only options we know are definitive caters for – yes – car users.)
On the other hand, Magnaye’s posts about our bike lanes also highlight another problem in our approach to public mobility. The lanes we do have don’t really provide a safe place for both bikers and motorists. Most of the time it feels like authorities decided that a paint job is enough and moved on. The pandemic led the national government to encourage commuters to walk and bike to their destinations, but three years in the infrastructure supporting these modes remain minimal and perfunctory. Sidewalks are uneven, bike lanes are not really bike lanes, and most motorists still don’t give a damn about anyone who’s not driving a car like them.
All this strikes at the heart of what’s wrong with our government’s approach to public mobility: the political need to look like something’s being done considerably narrows the possibilities of what can be done. Flagship infrastructure projects are nice and all, but if they’re not supported by the small things on the margins, the small details, then they’re just edifices that’s difficult to get to. What’s the use of a shiny new airport when getting there is a chore and a half?
What’s frustrating is that we do have some of the elements in place to make public mobility – the ability of the public to move around effortlessly, whether they choose to do so by car, by taxi, by train, by bike, or by foot – an attainable reality. The latest Philippine Development Plan prioritizes mass transportation systems such as railways and bus systems, as well as active transport infrastructure like better sidewalks and bike lanes – something that the National Transport Policy, released a few years back, called for. But plans are one thing. Implementation is another. We may be at the beginning of another cycle where all these ideas are rolled out but only the biggest ones are left to progress in a few years’ time. Good for a photo opportunity, but not good for commuters.
Stakeholders have to be reminded of the benefits to the economy of a robust and responsive public mobility system. Transportation costs are reduced not just for businesses, but for consumers as well. It ups their productivity at work. It allows them to spend more time with their families and pursue their passions. It broadens their horizons and allows them to spend more money on both products and experiences. It fosters the growth of truly close-knit, sustainable and resilient communities and ecosystems. And then there’s the tangible impact on job creation and economic development that comes with the development and maintenance of new transport hubs, especially to the communities that they serve, and the businesses that gain better access to new markets.
I hope that the Department of Transportation is able to lead the way in realizing this vision, no matter how long it takes – these things take longer than six years, after all. Otherwise, we will be back to the same cycle all over again. Some personality tweets about our non-existent public transport options, people react, people fight, you know the drill.
Henrik Batallones is the marketing and communications director of SCMAP, and editor-in-chief of its official publication, Supply Chain Philippines. More information about SCMAP is available at scmap.org.
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