PUBLIC Works Secretary Rogelio Singson Tuesday called for the removal of concrete barriers from Metro Manila roads, particularly Commonwealth Avenue.
Singson said that Australian and South Korean experts hired by the government had recommended the move, one of several suggestions they made to improve safety on the country’s major thoroughfares.
“The experts suggested [that] maybe we should have softer barriers—plastic and rubberized. Why is there a need for it to be concrete and hard?” he said.
“Maybe it’s already overkill. In fact, [concrete barriers] pose a hazard. You don’t [even] have to be [traveling at] high speed. At 60 kilometers per hour, it can be fatal if you hit a solid barrier or solid structure,” Singson added.
According to Singson, the road safety experts were conducting an assessment of Commonwealth Avenue, R-10, Edsa and Quirino Avenue and would release their findings next week.
Singson further said that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had written the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) about the U-turn slots in the metropolis.
“The U-turn slots are good for a certain volume of traffic but not … in all situations,” he said.
“We pointed [to] actual studies we made about [barriers on] Quezon Avenue [and Quezon Boulevard [that were] too close,” leading to heavy traffic, Singson added.
Singson also observed that the southbound lane of the Edsa-Ayala underpass going to Baclaran was problematic because it narrows down from four lanes to just two.
“Obviously, the design of that underpass was wrong. They should [have] put lane separators long before it narrows down to two lanes. Otherwise, motorists would be surprised,” he said.
The DPWH chief added that they had already forwarded their recommendations to MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino.
“I have talked to him about it. In fact, we’ve really been discussing how to improve Commonwealth [Avenue]. They will look into our suggestions,” Singson said.
“At the end of the day, it’s their responsibility. Ours is the engineering intervention,” Singson added.