One of the striking features of Manila is its traffic congestion. It is sad to see how the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority or MMDA deals with traffic flows. An eye-opening example is shown above where somebody must have earned a fortune to supply concrete road blocks. The picture is showing how road blocks create a new highway by also shortening the lanes of the left highway since a substantial part of one lane is used for the concrete blocks. You can imagine the wild driving on the left highway with not having enough space on one lane (partly covered by concrete) that those drivers are forced to occupy two lanes all the time?
Like in most cases the MMDA is unable to provide a solution but is well equipped to create an even bigger problem. How many drivers must have missed the entrance to the new right highway and have to drive back all the way? I guess that most decision takers at the MMDA don’t drive by themselves since a sane driver wouldn’t be able to come up with so hopeless ideas of regulating traffic flows.
The good thing about nearly all MMDA road block decisions is still promising: They never last for long and are changed often (which surely adds to more problems).
Great job, MMDA! May the world learn from your development examples!
Photo from Ortigas, Metro Manila October 2007.
Labels: Manila, Philippines, rules and regulation, weird
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3 Comments:
Thanks, Brommel. Road blocks are already removed as predicted by you.
Yes, fortunately MMDA's moment of madness didn't last long. We asked an MMDA official what was going on and he said ir was an "experiment". Fair enough I suppose, they tried something, it failed the UAT (user acceptability test), they withdrew it.
What about the u-turn in front of Galleria though? That reall is hopeless! Ten lanes now have to battle their way into one -- I pray this is not a permanent state of affairs.
Torn, don't understand a UAT. MMDA should think fisrt and then UAT wouldn't be a problem. I think the use UATs as a thinking tool. How MMDA 'organizes' the traffic is completely insane.
By discussing U-turns: This concept will never work because of Jeepneys which just need more space than any other car. Therefore, whereever a Jeepney takes a u-turn the traffic stops at least on 2-3 lanes.
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