The Department of Transportation (DOTr) held its first press conference with its new secretary, Vivencio ‘Vince’ Dizon, at the helm. Dizon opened the discussion by echoing the importance of public transportation, especially around Metro Manila. He would go on to reiterate that while mobility solutions around the country will take time to accomplish, imperative projects need to be fast-tracked and the pipeline must start moving. Dizon has mentioned this directive came from the president.
Dizon explained that traffic cannot be solved with band-aid solutions, but rather a series of projects spread out through short, medium, and long-term approaches. He further explained how these approaches must be based on data.
When taking questions from the media, Dizon discussed four ‘low hanging fruits’ that would improve mobility around Metro Manila. These fruits are not quick-fix solutions, but rather long-term improvements that can be completed in a relatively short amount of time—six months to a year according to the DOTr secretary.
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1) Making the EDSA Busway more efficient
Dizon told the media that he wants to get a real feel of the EDSA Busway system, in order to see what commuters really go through when on the carousel. “Gusto kong maranasan mismo. Kaya kasi makikita natin at maranasan natin yung dinadaanan ng mga kababayan natin araw-araw. So, I’m sure merong ways to fix that.” said Dizon.
Off the bat, Dizon already suggested that faster boarding and departing times for the busway are crucial for its efficiency—further stating it is the responsibility of the commuter to board on time to keep the bus operations optimal.
2) Train system capacity
Increasing the capacity of the MRT and LRT to accommodate rush hour crowds is the simplest solution for the train system’s improvement, according to the DOTr.
There are already plans in place to increase the MRT-3’s capacity from 300,000 daily commuters to 800,000 from the previous DOTr administration. Dizon suggested that these improvements can also be applied to the LRT systems.
3) EDSA Greenways revival
While discussing improvements to the train systems, Dizon also brought up his desire to revive the EDSA Greenways project. Funded by the Asian Development Bank, the EDSA Greenways project aimed to build 5km of elevated walkways around key transit stations throughout EDSA.
Namely on Balintawak, Cubao, Guadalupe, and Taft, the project has been in limbo since its inception and has consistently delayed its expected completion date. Currently, the project aims to be finished by 2027.
4) Pasig River Ferry utilization
Dizon advocated for the further integration of the Pasig River Ferry as another mobility option. He used the ferry systems in Bangkok as an example and even explained how it attracts and benefits tourism as well.
Currently, the Pasig River Ferry has 12 stops between Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City, and Escolta, Manila City.
What do you think of these immediate solutions? Will these be enough to alleviate the heavy traffic within Metro Manila, especially along EDSA? Let us know in the comments.
