Metro Manila Traffic Problems

What is pro-ac·tive? Be definition it means acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty or tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events. This is the attitude that the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) and PNP(Philippine National Police) should have.

I was curious of the word when Lila Delima said in an interview that the police should be pro-active. And after seeing every possible definition, I said to myself, our traffic officials are not pro-active. If you drive in metro manila, you would know what i mean. 

Metro Manila have lots of uneducated, unlicensed and reckless drivers. But does the MMDA and PNP do anything about it? I'll give you scenarios and let us see. 

Kuliglig or Motorized Pedicabs Banned in Main Roads

Mayor Alfredo Lim banned the "kuligligs" (motorized pedicabs/tricycle) from major streets. These "kuligligs" has been a traffic problem of Manila since they began building them. Drivers of these vehicles do not have licenses, insurance or driving etiquette. 

Some say why not register it in the LTO just like with the Jeepneys. These kind of vehicle is not recognized by the Land Transportation Office. They refuse to register the kuliglig because it uses a boat motor and is against the provision of the Clean Air Act.

This is a brave move by Mayor Lim. The number of kuligligs on streets is rising and now around

Number Coding Causes Bus Strike

Local bus operators made good on their threat to keep their buses from plying their regular routes to protest the implementation of the number coding scheme for all passenger buses, including provincial buses.

Under the number coding scheme, buses are banned on EDSA that have license plates ending in 1 and 2 on Mondays; 3 and 4  on Tuesdays; 5 and 6 on Wednesdays; 7 and 8  on Thursdays, and, 9 and 0 on Fridays.The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said around 13,000 provincial and city buses will be affected by the scheme, 1,000 of them on a daily basis.

Are Makati's Smoke-Belching Checkpoints Legal?

Makati ASBU and its officers are full of crap. They have preferences when they apprehend vehicles on their Smoke-Belching check points. They flag down only diesel vehicles, specially delivery aluminum closed vans, L-300s, L-200s. I know this is because delivery vans are the most likely offenders. But don't you think its unfair? They are unfair in so many ways.

They  are bias and don't dare flag down Pajeros, Patrols (Maybe the driver's politician), PUJs and PUBs (Most likely paid them). The people administering the emission tests are not

MMDA to Re-implement Anti-Littering Law

Metro Manila Mayors decided to re-implement the Anti-Littering Law of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to RA 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. Police will now have the power to start ticketing violators of the said law next week, September 16, 2010.

MMDA Regulation Number 96-009 as amended by MMDA Regulation Number 99-006 or the Anti-Littering Law, approved by the Metro Manila Council (MMC) in August 1996, prohibits

Open Intersection: Who Goes First?

How can we know who goes first in an intersection? Who has the right to go first? When we approach an intersection and see a car coming we ask ourselves "Would I go first or let them pass?" Considering that there is no stoplights and any other traffic signals, you would never know who

Jaywalking, Old Habits Die Hard

How depressing to see that jaywalking in metro manila was a problem before, and still a problem now. How hard the government tries to fix the problem, it just keeps coming back. Read a short blog about the efforts of Mayor Antonio Villegas, Mayor of Manila that time. what he did was...

Bring Back the Jaywalker's National Anthem Punishment

I remembered when there was a drive to eradicate jaywalking in Metro Manila. There were so many sign boards indicating "No Jaywalking", "May Multa....". There was an improvement but I don't know what happened and it stopped. Read an article in 2000 and wish to share and hope that they bring back the drive to improve metro Manila and totally remove jaywalking. Here's the article from BBC asia pacific:

Motorized Pedicabs on the Rise!

If you're driving in Manila, I'm pretty sure you've came across the Motorized Pedicabs. When you think of it, this is a perfect example of Filipino ingenuity and creativity. But this past year the number of these motorized pedicabs are increasing and in an alarming rate. Remember that the motorized pedicab drivers have no license and registration. And yet they are free to go around Manila. Both the PNP and MMDA don't pay attention to these motorized pedicabs even if they break traffic laws, like

beating the read light, swerving, etc.

Kids playing on the Road

Driving near slums or squatters area sometimes scares me. Not because of criminals or someone might steal my car. It's because of the kids playing on the road. The parents themselves allow these children to play in the middle of the road disregard for their safety and health. This is an issue that I myself am angry about. In cases I hear that a child was hit by a car and the parents were so angry. What the hell?? You let your kid play on the

Jaywalking Kills (Suicide Pedestrians)

Crossing a street is simple but has certain rules to follow. I know we have lots of streets here in our country that does not have proper pedestrian crossings and stoplights. So I would like to focus on those intersections that do have those proper pedestrian crossings and signs.

One great example is those 4 lane roads with footbridges. We can't make foot bridges in every corner, so we put them to the most ideal places. But some Filipinos are so damn lazy that they don't want to walk a bit  further to be safe, instead they cross the street with cars blazing past them. This causes deaths to both pedestrians and vehicle owners. We made footbridges for

one reason, to be used by pedestrians in order to cross the street safely.

Accident with a Kid on Bicycle

It was New Years Eve 2009, and me and my family went to Manila for dinner. I was driving slowly on a street with little or no lights, approaching a small intersection I slowed down traveling around 10kph, when a kid zooms in front of me. Good thing my foot was on the breaks and I was able to stop.

My whole family was shocked so I stepped out and checked on the kid. I was so angry that I cursed the kid  and asked him what was he thinking. At that time I was scared and angry all at the same time. It was my first accident involving a person. He answered that his chest was hurting. So I was worried that