Current Traffic Situation in Metro Manila

Metro Manila, the seat of commerce and government in the Philippines, is a

massive metropolitan area and considered to be one of the largest cities and
densely-populated areas in the world. With a land size of over 1,000 square
kilometers, it is home to an estimated 24 million residents, making it the 4th most
populous urban area in the planet.
As Metro Manila progress as one of the largest and most significant cities in the
world, challenges were no longer limited to crime, population density or pollution,
but also the unending daily traffic congestion, the current state residents and
visitors has to endure.
On a study entitled Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure Development for Metro Manila and Surrounding
Areas conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the traffic in
Metro Manila is at an alarming stage and has already cost the country Php2.5Bn a
day. These costs refer to value of time lost due to delay, fuel costs, vehicle
operating costs, impact on health & greenhouse gas emissions.
Several reasons were cited as major causes of heavy traffic jams in the Metro.
Lack of Roads
Metro Manila represents 3.5% of the total 39,370 kilometers of roads nationwide.
This is only equivalent to 1,032 kilometers of roads. The National Capital Region has
only one kilometer of road per 424 vehicles. Source: The Manila Standard
Congestion of PUVs and Private Vehicles
In 2013, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) listed a total of 2,101,148 motor
vehicles registered in NCR or 27% of the countrys 7,690,038 total registered motor
vehicles. In 2015, the total motor vehicles in Metro Manila have already peaked at
2.5 million. Source: The Manila Standard
The traffic demand in Metro Manila is at 12.8 million trips. 69% of these total trips
are done using public transport yet only 22% of the road space is occupied by public
vehicles. The other 78% of road space is taken by private vehicles. Source: National
Economic and Development Authority
Overpopulation
Metro Manila is 4th to Tokyo, Jakarta and Delhi in the list of the contiguous urban
areas of the world ordered according to population as of 2014/2015. This estimates
the current population of Metro Manila at 24 million, with an area of 1,580 square
kilometer. This means for every square kilometer, their lives around 15,300

residents (density). The increasing population requires higher demand for mass
transportation. Source: Wikipedia

Inefficient mass railway services

We are not new to news of trains shutting down or long queues in the ticket booths.
The inefficient railway system instigates the increase in buses / PUVs / private
vehicles in our roads. An efficient mass railway system could have provided
commuters a better and faster alternative in going from one destination to another,
which in return reduces the number of vehicles in the roads.

On the same study conducted by JICA, the Government should implement several
strategies in order to solve the traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
a) Controlled creation and development of urban centers.
- Commercial developments should be initiated not just in Metro Manila
but also in the North Regional Growth Center (Subic-Clark-Tarlac),
South Regional Growth Center (Batangas and Lucena), North Subregional Growth Center (Bulacan) and South Sub-regional Growth
Center (Cavite-Laguna).
b) Development of new gateway ports
- Further enhancements should be made on the major seaports of Subic,
Batangas and Lucena. Moreover, NAIA and Clark should be developed
and be interlinked. Accessibility of the Clark International Airport is also
impliedly mentioned.
c) Re-orienting the road network structure of Metro Manila
- This means further development of existing radial-circumferential
system (e.g. C5) and expressways and railways to connect the North to
South.
The study offers specific suggestions on how we convert Metro Manila as a worldclass urban city and make it free from traffic congestion. The challenge is how these
plans should be implemented and how we get the adequate support from the
Government, the Private Sector and the general public.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Manila_Dream_Plan
http://faq.ph/facts-about-traffic-in-metro-manila-that-you-should-know/

http://manilastandardtoday.com/opinion/columns/virtual-reality-by-tonylopez/149020/solving-manila-s-traffic.html
http://www.neda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/FR-SUMMARY.-12149597.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_areas_by_population