Marcos Jr. wants holistic plan to solve Metro Manila traffic woes

MANILA, Philippines — With traffic gridlocks costing the economy billions of pesos, President Marcos has called for a “comprehensive” solution to the country’s traffic woes and has directed agencies to come up with work adjustment plans, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said yesterday.

“What the President really wants is a comprehensive, holistic approach to solving the traffic problem – not the piecemeal approach as has been the case all these years,” Balisacan said.

He cited the need to look at intermodal transport systems and see how they operate efficiently as a whole. He noted that the government is building a subway, expressways and bridges linking provinces.

Such projects, he said, have to be seen in the context of all other transport systems including bicycle lanes, motorcycle lanes and feeder roads, as well as the location of industries and residences.

“If there is a chokepoint in one, it affects the whole system. That’s why we really look at it as a system. And that’s the direction of the President,” Balisacan said.

In a statement, the Presidential Communications Office said the government has several ongoing infrastructure projects connecting Metro Manila cities to nearby provinces, including the North-South Railway project linking Metro Manila to Bulacan, Pampanga and Laguna; the Central Luzon Expressway connecting North Luzon Expressway, and the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge.

A 2018 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency estimated that traffic congestion in Metro Manila is costing the Philippines P3.5 billion a day.

Metro Manila also emerged as the metro area with the worst traffic congestion in 2023, the traffic index of digital navigation site TomTom showed. According to the index, driving ten kilometers in Metro Manila took about 25 minutes and 30 seconds last year, 50 seconds slower than in 2022.

A total of 117 hours were lost per year during rush hours in the area while the average speed during those times was just 19 kilometers per hour.

Three big-ticket roadworks projects are expected to start this month, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)

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