Expansion of existing urban centers and urbanization of
rural areas is the norm and natural path of many cities and areas in the
planet. Congestion is the natural result as people try to squeeze themselves in
a limited space where various amenities and work and business opportunities are
available; things that they cannot easily find in rural areas.
In East Asia, cities from China and Japan are the biggest
in population size. In Southeast Asia in particular, Metro Manila is the
biggest. (See table)
Traffic congestion is among the most prominent problems
of many big cities, like those with population of 5 million or more people.
In Metro Manila and other big Philippine cities like
Cebu, Iloilo and Davao, the growth in number of vehicles is much faster than
the growth of new roads and highways being constructed.
This subject was discussed in a round table discussion
organized by the Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRi) on “Greater Manila
Transport Infrastructure Solutions: Thinking Beyond EDSA” last Oct. 28, at the
Tower Club in Makati City.
After the opening message by ADRi President Victor Dindo
Manhit, Mr. Eduardo Yap of the Management Association of the Philippines gave a
good presentation that compared the Metro Rail Transit (MRT)/Light Rail Transit
(LRT) system in Metro Manila to the train systems in Bangkok, Jakarta, and
Taipei.
Ours are small and short compared to those three and many
other East Asian cities. The population figure that he gave refers to “Mega
Manila,” which includes nearby provinces like Bulacan, Pampanga, Rizal and
Cavite. (See illustration)
British physicist and mathematician, Sir Isaac Newton
(1642-1727) was known for his contributions in classical mechanics and physics.
His famous theory is the so-called “Newton’s Laws of Motion.” Upon closer
examination, it seems that the laws of motion in physics can also apply in
society and economics.
Consider the First law: “A body at rest (or in motion)
will remain at rest (or in motion) unless an external force is applied on it.”
Application: Bureaucracy in command and control state
will remain in that state unless huge public pressure is applied on it.
There is a culture in the bureaucracy where the officials
declare, “No one moves, no one builds anything, unless they get our signatures
and permits first.” A state of inertia and inaction should be sustained unless
players and stakeholders first get the signatures of officials and regulators.
And that explains how unsolicited proposals to build
various MRT lines, skyways, and new tollways via build-operate-transfer (no
cost to the government) two to three decades ago never got off the ground.
Second law: “The acceleration of a body is directly
proportional to and in the same direction as the force acted on it, and
inversely proportional to its mass.”
Application: The acceleration of regulatory prohibition
is directly proportional to central planning philosophy and inversely
proportional to its intellectual mass.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
policy is to keep blaming private players -- the car owners, bus and van
operators and drivers, even passengers. Thus, policies like cars number-coding
prohibitions and similar rules covering some provincial buses and vans restrict
the capacity and mobility of high occupancy vehicles unless they secure a legal
franchise which, by itself, is very costly and time-consuming to get. People
have to endure three or four rides one way (tricycle then jeep/bus, then
MRT/LRT, then jeep or tricycle to final destination), and so many are forced to
drive their cars, which exacerbate the traffic congestion.
Third law: “For every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction.”
Application: For every government intervention, there is
an equal opposite distortion.
When government prohibits people to drive their own cars
on certain day of the week, many people buy a second or third car, especially
if their village is far from the main road. And this exacerbates traffic
congestion. When government prohibits certain provincial buses to enter key
areas in Metro Manila, many of these car-owning probinsyanos take their cars or
motorcycles to Metro Manila, and this again worsens traffic congestion.
One alternative that the MMDA and Department of
Transporation and Communications/Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory
Board should consider is that instead of segregating between Metro Manila and
provincial buses, they should allow those bus companies to choose their routes.
Say from Cavite to Fairview or Pasig-Marikina, and these buses can pick up and
unload passengers along EDSA or C5. Make the bus-train commute more convenient
and cost-effective, and many people will leave their cars at home. In addition,
many jeepneys and tricycles will die a natural death, without creating a new
law or Administrative Order or local government unit ordinance. And we shall
have less traffic.
Traffic congestion is an engineering problem with
engineering solutions; it is a result of market failures but can be solved by
market solutions. Like those unsolicited proposals to build more urban rails
since 20 or 30 years ago. Like those air-con vans that bring office personnel
from their houses/villages straight to Makati, Ortigas, Bonifacio Global City,
Eastwood, Manila, airport, and so on, with just “one ride.”
Government should learn to step back and allow market
players to initiate market solutions to the traffic congestion. Government
should focus on securing road right-of-way for important infrastructure
projects and enforcing property rights. Enforce the rule of law, like the law
against bus hold-uppers, terrorists, murderers, and kidnappers. Transporting
people and goods to various destinations is not a crime that requires lots of
permits, taxes, and expensive franchises.
Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. is the head of Minimal Government
Thinkers, Inc., and a Fellow of the South East Asia Network for Development
(SEANET).
------------See also:
BWorld 5, Transportation Bureaucracy and Uber, June 16, 2015
BWorld 8, Manila's Traffic and Transport Woes, June 27, 2015
BWorld 21, More internet use means lesser corruption?, October 31, 2015 BWorld 22, WESM, PEMC and search for competitive electricity prices, November 05, 2015
BWorld 23, ASEAN trade bureaucracies and Doing Business 2016 Report, November 07, 2015
Transport Econ 15, On having 2 cars or more, July 20, 2015
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