By Andre Palma
Philippine Daily Inquirer
EACH time a new road or highway opens, a sense of excitement and compulsion overcomes those of us who live to drive. Like ants converging on a fallen ice cream scoop melting under the summer sun, new places to drive are magnets to those who enjoy time behind the wheel. Fewer still are the times when the road itself is the reward for the long trip. This past Holy Week, it was the newly opened section of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway that tempted many from their moments of contemplation and out into the driver’s seat.
The first time I drove on this stretch of road was about a year ago, while the highway was still just a long line of compacted gravel that started in Clark and ended in several places on the way to Subic. Even then, the potential of the ambitious road was evident, the tell-tale signs of a world-class piece of public works already then unmistakable. A return trip, for the sole sake of driving the length of this particular road was inevitable.
The main thing that can be remembered from that initial drive was the way that the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway snaked and crested ever so gently. At speed, the most important safety feature of any thoroughfare is just how much road that drivers can see in front of them. At the legal speed limit a car travels 100 meters every three point seven seconds or so (100 m/3.75 seconds roughly). One can imagine at those speeds, emergency stopping or evading collision is a tall order for most motorists and their vehicles.
The more one can see ahead on a road, the farther out one’s event horizon is. Instead of having to react instinctively, one has time to process the situation and counter accordingly. This means that drivers have more time to deal with wayward vehicles, stray animals or whatever other potential dangers that may appear out of nowhere.
While the surface is generally reported to be less smooth than the revitalized NLEX, the quality of the material laid down as the road surface is very good. Black and sticky, likely due to the high amount of crumbled rubber mixed in with the asphalt, fewer surfaces available to the motoring public afford more grip. The benefits gained from the use of this expensive material are worth it. Stopping distances are shortened. Tires adhere to cambered turns like epoxy. Driving at speed is actually made a pleasant experience.If the management of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway sought to build a technically sound, world-class road, then it seems like they’ve achieved their goal. People have likened the driving experience to those they’ve had in more developed countries. The general opinion is the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway would not seem out of place in Malaysia or the Southwestern United States. Personally, the visual similarities with a section of the Autovia from Albacete to Valencia are quite uncanny.
Many ask if some of us will hit this section of the road at speed. The answer to the question is quite obvious. Already, drive times from the NLEX exit to the Subic end are circulating. While most are reasonable, slightly bordering on the fast side, there are some that are astonishing feats of pace. Let’s just say because of the way this road is built, the temptation to make velocity maximum (V-Max) runs is ever present.So it is with much anticipation that a return drive to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is being planned. A stable alignment setting, inert gas in the tires, top shelf engine oil and fresh coolant seem like bear minimums to be able to tackle this road with gusto in the summer heat without incident.
Just how fast will it take to travel this beautiful section of road from end to end? Let me quote an old philosopher from my university days for some perspective. Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it. Words of wisdom that praise slowing down and taking everything in. Then again, I doubt Kierkegaard ever felt the bliss of a turbo at full boost.
