I WENT back to the Philippines as a balikbayan to study in a seminary in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.
Weekly, from Bulacan to Nueva Ecija, I drove a car and it took me about three hours to reach my destination. The problem, e.g. Baguio and other places in Luzon, is not so much about the conditions of the road but about the tricycles who hamper travel by using the national highways.
These tricyle [drivers], though they have the right to earn a living, are blocking the streets particularly in public palengkes or markets. Without these tricycles on the streets, I could have reached Cabanatuan within one-and-a-half hours. Lack of discipline and training for traffic rules compounded the problems — endangering both motorists and pedestrians.
Let’s not wait for some big disasters to happen — they are causing deaths and accidents in every part of the country. I urge the MMDA and the LTC to act on this nuisance and obstruction in our our national highway. I urge Mr. [Bayani] Fernando, who is doing a good job as MMDA chair, to travel more by car to those places to see these problems.
– Paddy Padilla, Carson, California (via e-mail)
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September 26th, 2007 at 8:48 am
It’s not only the tricycles that are impeding traffic. Have you noticed that most of the towns’ public market are built along the main highway? There are no setbacks from these public markets therefore drivers park their vehicles very close to the main highway or worse block the highways to wait and haul passengers.
Mga gago kasi ang mga nagpaplano at nagaaprove ng mga buildings na eto. You try driving along the main highways of Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, etc. Yung palengke at iba pang mga building at nasa tabi lang ng kalsada at mga nagpaparada ay nakabara sa highway. Wala man lang paradahan na ginagawa kundi mismong sa kalsada. Lintik na mga estupidong enhinyeros!
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I agree with Paddy about the traffic condition along our national
highways.
I am an OFW and I also experience the same excruciating experience. Every time I come home I always love to drive my family to different places in our country.
So as not to sour the holiday feelings I try to exercise 110% of my patience
to these tricycles while driving the provincial highways. When you tag along a queue of snail moving vehicles that means there is a lead tricycle out there. During night time you must be
very extra careful because most of these tricycles have broken tail lights.
These tricycles roaming the highways are every where. 15 years ago I used to
cover Manila to Baguio in about 3.5 hrs in my beat up car. Now 6 hrs or more
becomes a norm.
This may become like the case of the jeepneys. You cannot totally eliminate these public transportation vehicles.
The best solution is to construct bypass highways where tricycles, bicycles,
karitelas, and the likes are prohibited; and to allow only these tricycles to
ply within a certain radius of the town. Anyone who wants to travel beyond
that point should take the bus or jeepney instead.
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:42 pm
I don’t know what to say either. Frankly I hate these tricycles for above reasons you all have already pointed out. But when I think about my sister who relies on tricycle to transport her and her two small children to school, I am stumped.
When I think about my neighbors who patronize the abusive drivers and their trikes not by choice but by circumstance, I feel really angry about our state of economy.
Banishing this obstructions on the road has a multiplier effect its like toppling a stack of dominoes. It affect the whole community, the whole country, the government.
The state of our roads really tells a lot about what kind of country we had become. Dati jeep pa, ngayon trisikad na nga lang e. May pagkakitaan lang.
September 22nd, 2007 at 9:31 pm
[...] Vox Populi : Balikbayan on 3-hour Baguio trip [...]
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:24 am
Paddy, vooooooodzzzzzzzzz & Tim mga steksayds?? (sabi ni lolo)
C’mon yo, Dati nyo ng alam na ganito na ang situation sa mga kalsada at mga daanan ng sasakyan natin sa ‘Pinas lalo na sa mga poblacion sa Probinsya pag araw ng palengke. Of course sa sobrang dami ba naman not only tricycles but all types of vehicles nandiyan na at lalo pa walang 3 to 4 lanes roads to minimize heavy traffic. Kaya the best thing to do if you’re driving in the Phil drive and act like a real Pinoy driver just like when you are in LA and/or in other parts of the states in the US, as they say if you are driving in New York drive like a New Yorker. Common sense mag hanap ng ibang route and to tell you if you are driving your own car in the Phil you can just easily find another way for you not to be caught in traffic. Believe me there are alternate routes going to your destination. Heavy traffic?, pedicabs?, jeepneys with passengers on top at may mga nakasabit pa?, pedestrians?, at mga napakaraming pedestrians?, at ang mga inaayawan ni Paddy na mga TRICYCLES? Mga kabayan relax lang, kasama lahat yan sa Buhay Pinoy, OK? And again to you Paddy, please be advised that all areas outside Metro Manila is no longer under the area of responsibility of MMDA Chair BF.