Mixed reviews for HPG traffic enforcers on Day 1

The presence of policemen on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) as traffic enforcers on Monday drew mixed reactions from commuters, who were one in saying that the traffic problem in Metro Manila boiled down to the huge volume of vehicles plying the 23.8-kilometer thoroughfare and the lack of a reliable mass transport system in the capital.

Darius Botes said the 150 members of the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) assigned to man traffic at six choke points—Balintawak, Cubao, Ortigas, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe and Taft Avenue—did not help improve the traffic situation at the perennially congested highway.

Botes, who works as a messenger, said it still took him more than an hour, from 7 a.m. to past 8 a.m., to reach Edsa-Ortigas from Magallanes in Makati City.

Another commuter, Ana Marie, however, said the presence of the policemen, who took over traffic management on Edsa from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), was a “success.”

She noted that her usual travel time of at least two hours from Lower Bicutan in Taguig City to Edsa-Ortigas was significantly reduced to just an hour.

Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said traffic flow along Edsa during the morning rush hour improved by 25-30 percent.

Bus conductor Raymond Fernandez, whose bus plies the Navotas-Baclaran route, said the usual travel time of at most six hours was down to just five.

Cops taken seriously

Fernandez said the continuous flow of traffic may be attributed to the fact that members of the PNP-HPG, unlike their MMDA counterparts, were taken “more seriously” by motorists. The HPG used to man traffic on Edsa, until there was a turnover in responsibility with the creation of the MMDA in 1995.

Bus conductor Victor Pales agreed with Fernandez’s observation, saying drivers immediately obliged when told by the policemen to leave the bus stop after 30 seconds. In the past, he said, some drivers would ignore MMDA traffic enforcers despite being told to leave.

Still, other drivers ignored the policemen. At the northbound part of Edsa-Guadalupe, a Yohance bus and a Jasper Jean bus, for instance, veered off their designated yellow lane, according to Radyo Inquirer.

Bus conductor Ronald said there was no change in the traffic situation, noting that it still took his bus three hours to reach Edsa-Cubao in Quezon City from Malanday in Valenzuela City.

He said the government should turn its attention to how it would address the growing number of private vehicles in the metropolis.

COP AS TRAFFIC ENFORCER A member of the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group (HPG) stands on the yellow lane while directing traffic on Edsa-Cubao as part of efforts to ease traffic congestion on the busiest highway in Metro Manila. The HPG was directed by the Office of the President to take over traffic enforcement at six choke points on Edsa from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. ALEXIS CORPUZ

MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino earlier said that a decade ago, Edsa had 120,000 vehicles per lane per hour. That number has since ballooned to 145,000.

Fernandez said that to complement the new traffic scheme, the government should “improve mass transport” systems, such as the Metro Rail Transit and Light Rail Transit, to encourage those with private cars to use public transport, thereby reducing the number of vehicles on Edsa and other thoroughfares in the metropolis.

Traffic jams in the capital of over 13 million people have become a major issue, with a growing number of commuters blaming the administration of President Aquino.

A study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), released in 2014, found that traffic jams in Metro Manila cost the country P2.4 billion a day and were responsible for most of the air pollution.

The metropolis has long struggled with a deteriorating road and railway system, too many vehicles on the streets, undisciplined drivers and a lack of urban planning that forces long commutes.

It is also hugely overcrowded, with the Jica study saying it has 191 people per hectare compared with 146 in Tokyo.

“Hopefully, it (the new traffic scheme) will change things but traffic is a complex problem,” said presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma Jr. “There are short-term solutions but we also need long-term solutions.”

Balintawak wet market

At the Balintawak wet market in Quezon City, HPG personnel were able to clear the southbound lanes of Edsa to ensure the steady flow of traffic, herding the usual crowd of vendors and pedestrians to the sidewalk, and shooing away parked vehicles.

Even the media weren’t spared. Crew cabs vying for prime coverage spots were immediately asked to move away from the congested market area.

Asked whether he saw any change with the redeployment of police traffic enforcers on Edsa-Balintawak, bus inspector Ronaldo Roque noted the five-lane southbound road became more “spacious” and the flow of vehicular traffic more “continuous.”

“On Mondays, there’s usually already a traffic jam here by 4 or 5 a.m. Vehicles would no longer be able to move because of parked cars along the sidewalk, or cars making drop-offs or pickups at the market. Traffic only really moves in one lane,” Roque said when interviewed by the Inquirer around 7 a.m.

“Now, it’s so spacious. The vehicles are using four lanes out of five. The traffic flow is continuous,” Roque said. “We’re OK with the police [taking over]. I just hope they can keep this up,” he said.

Malabon resident Leonila Garcia, 68, who buys food in bulk at the market for her lunch business, said the stricter traffic regulation posed some difficulties for her, but she expressed willingness to comply.

On Monday, Garcia had to be dropped off and picked up far from her usual area at the market. The private jeepney that came to fetch her and her heavy cargo also had to circle back a few times before it was allowed to pick her up, causing her to stay stranded for hours.

The HPG allocated space along the sidewalk for drop-offs or pickups, but it was so limited, jeepneys had to take turns for the space.

Despite the sudden inconvenience, Garcia said she was “OK” with the stricter enforcers. “That’s just the way it is,” she said. “We need to follow the law.”

Hours into the initial deployment of policemen, the HPG head, Chief Supt. Arnold Gunnacao, said he was “glad” the traffic flow was smoothed out on Edsa-Balintawak.

“I can see our drivers are very cooperative. Even the market vendors and buyers no longer park and block the roads,” Gunnacao said.

As a result of the clearing operations, however, pedestrians spilled over to the road because sidewalks were clogged with vendors. “It’s unsafe for people to walk on the roads. So we are asking the local government to clear the sidewalks and regulate the number of vendors,” Gunnacao said.

During the send-off ceremonies for HPG personnel at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, PNP Director General Ricardo Marquez said the HPG members were just “deputized agents” of the MMDA and the Land Transportation Office, and would be concentrating only on the six choke points on Edsa.

The HPG personnel will be deployed on eight-hour shifts from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., Marquez said.—Jovic Yee, Jaymee T. Gamil and Maricar B. Brizuela with AFP

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