MANILA, Philippines — Senator Nancy Binay on Friday urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to first road test what she called the department’s “science projects” along EDSA before its implementation of new traffic schemes at the expense of hapless commuters.
In a statement, the senator also hit the “seemingly unsafe and poorly planned measures” being implemented by the transportation department as various areas in the country are still placed under quarantine.
“This is not the time to stretch experiments. Improving mobility and maximizing space is important, but spending on costly experiments that we know are bound to fail is totally unnecessary lalo pa ngayong kapos sa pondo (especially now when we are short of funds),” Binay said in a statement.
“Sana try din nilang testingin yung kanilang science projects sa EDSA—para kasing virtual experiment ang ginagawa sa mga mananakay,” she added.
(I hope they can test their science projects on EDSA, it seems like they are treating commuters as virtual experiments.)
Further, the senator said the DOTr should note that the public was already reeling from the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic to be further saddled by poorly thought-out plans.
“Wag na po nating ipilit yung mga hilaw at minadaling plano sa EDSA which placed public safety as a secondary concern. Di po EDSA ang classroom sa online learning (Let us not push for rushed plans along EDSA which placed public safety as a secondary concern. EDSA is not a classroom for online learning),” she said.
Among the DOTr’s plans that caught Binay’s ire was the intended placement of bus stops in the middle lane of Edsa.
The senator said this would not only cause safety concerns for passengers but would also require the infrastructure for the bus stops to be accessible.
“Papaano naman ‘yung mga pasahero? Saan sila tatawid para makapunta sa gitna ng EDSA? Lalo din papahirapan nito ang ating mga senior citizen at PWDs (persons with disability). If DOTr genuinely believes that their plans are well-thought of, then we presume that they understand the hardships of commuters under MGCQ,” Binay said.
(How about the commuters, where do they expect them to cross to be able to access the bus stop in the middle lane of EDSA? This would only put a burden on senior citizens and persons with disability.)
Binay said that DOTr’s transport plans are “totally unrealistic and impractical.”
“Our workers and the commuting public don’t deserve this kind of treatment. Ang nakakaloka, halos linggo-linggo ay may bagong ganap sa EDSA,” Binay said.
(What’s mind-boggling is that every week, there seems to be a new happening on EDSA).
Binay has earlier dared DOTr officials to commute to experience for themselves the guidelines they have enforced under GCQ.
The senator posed the challenge to transport officials and policy-makers, saying that Metro Manila’s shift to a less strict GCQ “without a clear plan for the commuting public only added to the chaos, misery, and confusion.”