What Grace Poe Should Do to Improve Transportation in the Country

A question given to me recently is what your presidential bet can do to improve transportation in this country?

As the economy grows, the traffic situation in Metro-Manila worsens and so does the urban centers outside the metro.

According to an online database Numbeo, the Philippines is the fifth country in the world, third in Asia, with the worst traffic condition. Further, the average one-way commuting time in the Philippines takes about 46.09 minutes before people reach their destination.

Senator Grace Poe, a top presidential bet, views the traffic situation as alarming since it is no longer just a road use efficiency problem but a public health issue as well. Everyday travel will take its toll on the physical and emotional well-being of the Pilipinos.

Here are the action plans of the lady senator on how to improve transportation and solve the traffic woes in the country at least within a year once elected.

More trains in the country

Add more trains in Metro-Manila and build mass transportation systems all over the country. Start finishing that are already supposed to be done and fast-track completion of projects with blue print.

Ensure train projects will be awarded to worthy contractors.

Ease traffic

Aside from Metro-Manila there also other parts of the country that have bad traffic conditions, like Cebu. She even suggested the building of subway systems to reduce the volume of traffic on the road.

Enforce strictly, traffic rules for all drivers as well as for pedestrians.

Remove all colorum buses and illegally parked vehicles from the street. Require bus operators to do away with the boundary system of paying their drivers,

Implement staggered office hours.

Ensure timely completion of all roadwork and fire contractors who fail to finish on time.

Address flooding

LGUs should also look at how they can mitigate flooding which causes traffic during the wet

season. They should effectively manage solid waste and ensure that people know and follow disaster preparedness protocols.

The main problem according to the study of the DPWH, most of our drainage systems are small or are already clogged. Lack of waterways is another problem related to flooding.

Informal settlers occupy around 3,000 hectares in Metro-Manila. Building structures that could house them outside of Metro-Manila would lead to more spaces for roads and drainage systems.

Countryside development

Encourage investors to set-up shop in rural areas. This will create job opportunities outside of the major cities. In effect, this will lessen foot traffic and reduce the urban population.