00:00 Metro Manila takes the top spot for having the worst traffic in the world.
00:06 This is according to transportation data firm Tomtom Traffic Index.
00:11 The report says in 2023, the average level time in Metro Manila is 25 minutes and 30 seconds for every 10 kilometers.
00:19 This gets worse during the Friday rush hours when it would take 35 minutes and 30 seconds to travel 10 kilometers.
00:26 But the MMDA isn't too sure about the report.
00:29 We don't know what methodology Tomtom employed to say that Metro Manila is number one.
00:40 Did they count? What is their basis?
00:43 We will not deny that there is traffic here in Metro Manila.
00:47 But we just want to know what is the reason why there is traffic in Metro Manila.
00:57 ARTES says there are now 3.6 million vehicles traversing a mere 5,000 kilometer road network in Metro Manila every day.
01:06 On EDSA alone, 400,000 vehicles pass through daily, 100,000 more than its carrying capacity.
01:13 Illegal structures, road repairs, illegal parking, and road accidents also cause heavy traffic.
01:20 We will work with the government to address this.
01:27 We also need the help of the government because we need discipline in the local government.
01:34 But according to urban planner Paolo Alcazarin,
01:37 The MMDA is powerless at this point because they are trying to address only the symptom which is traffic.
01:46 And they have limited ability to address the problem from a metropolitan context.
01:58 He says the government needs to invest on a comprehensive active transport system in the country.
02:04 The solution is to move away from car-centric transport to mass transit-based transportation system.
02:16 Additional active mobility or alternative transport system is the solution.
02:23 Urban planner Felino Jun Palafox, meanwhile, recommends that authorities implement congestion charging and establish roads parallel to EDSA.
02:33 Maybe your email can send it to you.
02:37 Like congestion charging, during heavy traffic, you pay to use the road.
02:43 RFID, you postpone unnecessary trips.
02:48 So you get out of the big hours, you don't want to pay.
02:52 And strongly suggests that government involve experts when it makes urban master plans.
02:58 They should listen to experts.
03:00 Urban planning decisions are sometimes decided by mayors, not urban planners.
03:08 Some, not all, decision makers in our part of the world have fixed mindset.
03:15 The progressive cities and countries in the world, they have growth mindset.
03:19 EJ Gomez, CNN Philippines.
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