The year that has been didn’t just consist of countless car launches and numerous bike reveals. There were also several motoring stories—both good and bad—that helped shape 2023. We live in the Philippines, after all, so these transport-related issues are, in a way, inevitable.
Let’s look back on some of the biggest topics that the beat talked about this year, shall we?
OTHER YEAR-END ROUNDUPS YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK OUT:
We list down the biggest car launches of 2023
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1) Driver’s license backlog
Who could forget, right? This was arguably one of the biggest and longest-running issues from the motoring sector this year. It’s not like the word ‘backlog’ hasn’t been used in the same sentence before as the Land Transportation Office (LTO) before, but it’s the first time the LTO’s backlogs involved driver’s licenses. The seemingly simple reason behind it made things even worse. But hey, at least the LTO finally—and we hope for real this time—secured millions of plastic cards to help clear its backlog.
2) Cashless tollways
As difficult as it is to believe, the issue of 100% cashless tollways resurfaced in 2023 after that huge fiasco from way back in 2020. The difference is that this time around, they actually pushed through and had select toll plazas shift to RFID-only systems. Some people still pay cash when they pass the expressways to this day, though.
3) QC uses plant boxes as bike-lane dividers
To no surprise at all, thousands upon thousands of our readers clicked on this particular story. Why? Simple—an initiative like this is non-car-centric and is inclusive to other vulnerable road users like pedestrians, not just cyclists. This just goes to show that we could use more of these in Metro Manila.
4) Metro Manila’s single ticketing system
At the start of the year, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Metro Manila Council (MMC) rolled out the single ticketing system under the Metro Manila Traffic Code of 2023. It was a pretty big deal, and for a time, it was the talk of the town. In a nutshell, it unifies all violations and corresponding fines and penalties across the capital, and it also makes the settling of these fines easier for erring motorists. If you need a rundown, here’s our explainer.
5) Exclusive motorcycle lanes on Commonwealth Avenue
For years, Commonwealth has been one of the most problematic thoroughfares in the metro. And sometime in 2023, some people thought they could solve the problem that is Commonwealth by keeping all motorcycles inside a single lane. Well, we’re already at the end of the year, and traffic there still needs solving. Anyway, you can check out below the ride-by video we posted and our full explainer here.
OTHER YEAR-END ROUNDUPS YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK OUT:
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6) LTO on failure to claim replacement license plates
The driver’s license backlog wasn’t the only thing plaguing the LTO this year—the perennial license plate backlog was still there, too. Midway through 2023, the agency announced that those who fail to claim their replacement plates would be penalized, only to backtrack on its statement a few days later and say that dealers and the LTO offices will be punished instead. Well, the public didn’t exactly like that initial announcement, anyway.
7) LTO registration goes online
Big news! Motor vehicle registration—or at least parts of the process—can now be carried out online. This was one of the LTO’s biggest announcements earlier this year. The catch? You’d have to get your car inspected at a Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (PMVIC) to make it eligible for online registration. Just like the previous announcement on this list, this didn’t sit well with a lot of motorists, too. Nevertheless, this one pushed through.
8) San Miguel Avenue incident
One of the first shocking (and bizarre) road incidents of the year featured an SUV going wild on San Miguel Avenue in Mandaluyong City. After the videos of the scene surfaced on social media, the LTO quickly issued a show-cause order against the driver. It was a bad way to start the year.
9) Driver vs. cyclist, road rage edition
2023 had its fair share of road rage incidents, too. One of the biggest was where an ex-cop went viral in an altercation with a cyclist whom he drew a firearm on. In the end, nobody filed charges and there was ‘forgiveness’ from the cyclist. But hey, at least an Anti-Road Rage Act was filed in Congress because of this.
10) Jeepney phaseout
This is another issue that’s been around for years. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Memorandum Circular No. 2023-052, however, has already taken effect, which means so are the agency’s implementing guidelines for the PUV modernization program. It’s still a bit unclear as to what exactly will happen come January 1, 2024, though, so we’ll still have to wait and see. For now, here’s an explainer on the whole PUV modernization program.
Honorable mentions
1) One Ayala-SM Link opening
To our surprise, a lot of readers clicked on this story. It’s proof that 1) One Ayala really is a busy and important transport terminal, and 2) we need more commuter-friendly infrastructure in busy cities like Makati.
2) Pedestrian gets stuck in traffic while walking
Speaking of commuter-friendly infra, there was a video that went viral a few months ago of a guy getting stuck in traffic while walking on Ortigas Avenue Extension. Sure, there isn’t a sidewalk there in the first place, but that in itself is already a problem that needs to be pointed out. Like the guy in the clip, a lot of people would prefer to walk than waste hours stuck in standstill traffic.
