INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Clean air advocates on Monday asked the Supreme Court to order the government to devote half of all roads to sidewalks, all-weather bike lanes and urban gardens.
The petition was filed as Metro Manila prepares for monster traffic jams due to the construction of two major road projects.
In their 31-page petition, petitioners said the government should implement the road-sharing scheme for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to reduce traffic and air pollution.
Petitioners, who said they represent their children who are the most affected by air pollution, told the high court that instead of transforming the roads and the transportation system to favor non-motorized locomotion and transport, “the Philippine government has gone on its merry way building more and more roads, paving with concrete almost available open spaces.”
“Even the air space has not been spared with the government’s mania for building skyways. All land use experts agree that building more roads only increases traffic. Further, because soil that would have absorbed water is paved over with concrete, this aggravates our recurrent and ever-increasing episodes of intense flooding,” petitioners who also said they are car owners who would rather not have cars if only there is a good, convenient, safe and reliable public transportation.
Petitioners said the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Metro Manila Development Authority should faithfully comply with Executive Order 774 particularly Section 12(b) which provides that “[p]ublic open places, space along sidewalks and portions of roads and parking lots, which shall be rendered irrelevant by the mind-shift to non-motorized and collective transportation systems, shall be devoted to productive use through sustainable urban farming.”
“The other half of the road space may be used for motorized vehicles, preferably for safe, efficient, convenient and inexpensive collective (or mass) Filipino-made transportation systems,” petitioners said.
Petitioners said only two percent of Filipinos own cars but are given the right to use most of the roads.