It could take a lifetime

Egay Uy . 

LAST Monday’s flag raising ceremony saw an emphatic City Administrator Teddy Sabugaa Jr. when he discussed what the major problem is with the traffic situation in the city.

Without batting an eyelash, I agree with him a hundred percent.  It is not the narrow streets, not the increased volume of motor vehicles plying city streets, not the lack of loading and unloading areas, not the defective traffic lights, and not the lack of traffic aides. The number one problem causing the traffic mess is the lack of discipline among road users – motorists, passengers, and pedestrians.

Drivers of public transport vehicles seem oblivious to what we call yellow boxes – the loading and unloading areas all over the city. Whenever a passenger whistles or says “para” immediately, the right foot of the PUV driver steps on the brake and the vehicle stops right at the center of the travel lane.

The passengers, who also lack discipline, either disembark or go on board right where the PUV has stopped – in the middle of the travel lane. And passengers usually demand to be ferried to the doorstep of where he is bound.  Gone are the days when “Nong, lugar lang” was norm.

Pedestrians, on the other hand, appear to be brandishing placards that they have the right of way on busy streets. Yes, they do, on pedestrian lanes. But for their safety, as I have always said, they should not assume that the motorists are aware of that right.

Teddy said he was recommending an amendment to the traffic code of the city by penalizing the operators of public utility vehicles whenever their drivers commit violations.  That would be a good move because it is the operators who decide who should operate their motor vehicles.  It is therefore incumbent upon them to see to it that they hire only competent and disciplined drivers.

The RTA usually gets the blame. In some cases, rightfully so. But in probably equal number of cases, it is the motorist, the commuter, or the pedestrian who should be penalized or disciplined for being ignorant of road courtesy and of the most basic of traffic rules and regulations.

When I was in the traffic office, I have repeatedly said that solving a traffic problem would be easy if we talk only of the engineering and geometric solutions, especially if complemented by consistent enforcement and massive education campaign.

But changing road users’ respect for other road users, attitude and road courtesy and discipline, could take a lifetime.

(Egay Uy is a lawyer. He chairs the City’s Regulatory and Complaint Board, co-chairs with the city mayor the City Price Coordinating Council, and chairs the city’s Joint Inspection Team.  He retired as a vice president of Cepalco.)