MMDA hit int'l study calling MM 'worst in traffic' worldwide
By Nidz Godino
"System they use I think is like GPS attached to car, and they used this as basis to monitor traffic situations all over the world... from this, we could already see difference in data MMDA uses,"Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) cast its doubt on "2023 Traffic Index," released by transportation data company TomTom Traffic, calling Metro Manila worst in metro traffic worldwide.
MMDA acting chairman Don Artes aired questions on company's methdology, after it claimed it takes 25 minutes and 30 seconds to travel 10 kilometers with over 117 hours lost per year during rush hours.
"First of all, we don't know methodology employed by TomTom to say Metro Manila is number one worst in their Traffic Index ranking, " Artes said.
Metro area in Lima, Peru followed Metro Manila in TomTom's list, with Bengaluru, India and Sapporo, Japan coming in at third and fourth.
Manila was ranked ninth worst traffic city center with an average travel time of 27 minutes and 20 seconds per 10 kilometers. This means over 105 hours are lost per year during rush hours at an average speed of 19 kilometers per hour.
On another hand, London tops list of worst city traffic with average travel time of 37 minutes and 20 seconds per 10 kilometers. During rush hours, said people from United Kingdom experience average speed of 14 kilometers per hour during rush hour.
Artes admitted Metro Manila does have enormous problem when it comes to extreme traffic, pointing to record-high sales of private vehicles as number one contributor of vehicle congestion.
"In our data last 2021, we have 3.2 million vehicles to 3.6 million vehicles daily that travel around whole Metro Manila for 24 hours," Artes continued.
"Our road network in Metro Manila is only at 10,000 kilometers…so you can just imagine we fit around 3.6 million vehicles there."
MMDA added Metro Manila's roads is already structurally over capacity. For example, Artes says over 400,000 plus vehicles use EDSA every day even if it only has carrying capacity of 300,000 a day.
He cited vehicle sales surpassed industry's target last 2023, registering 21.9% growth translating to 429,807 purchases.
"30% of that are in Metro Manila, with another 10 to 15% in nearby provinces who also travel to National Capital Region," MMDA official added.
"Another cause of traffic are leaks and road repairs…we cannot stop those because we need to repair water leakages."
Artes also explained government's flagship projects also contribute to heavy traffic — citing construction of Metro Manila Subway Project as one cause.
Commuters and transport advocates have long fought for less "car-centric" style of urban planning to fight heavy traffic, calling government to prioritize public transportation like trains or mass transit lines could ferry more people while taking up less space on the road.
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