Foggy roads – Part 2

By d0ctrine on September 21, 2024

This is supposed to be a follow-up to the post on foggy roads in Tagaytay last month. Unfortunately, I could other things came in the way of finishing this Part 2. Intersections can be quite dangerous if all approaching one have limited visibility. Add to that the flaws in intersection geometry that may contribute to it being risky to travelers. Following is an example along the Tagaytay-Calamba Road with an intersection with Belleview Drive, which is the main access road to Tagaytay Highlands.

The approach from Tagaytay features a curve. I didn't notice any streetlights along the road so I can imagine it must be poorly lit at night. What more if there is a thick fog in the area?

The bike lane is a product of the government's efforts to come up with a bike lane network along national roads during the pandemic. This is actually the shoulder painted to become a bike lane. This is the view of the intersection approach if you're coming from Tagaytay. The leg to the right with the people with umbrellas is Belleview Drive and towards Tagaytay Highlands. You can easily miss this if you were not familiar with the area and cruising along the highway. Note the thick fog obscuring your vision of the intersection. The curvature to the left also adds to the complex situation.

This is a closer look at the highway approach from Tagaytay taken a few minutes after I took the first photo in the article. Note the fog quickly setting in and the limited visibility. The motorcycle moving away from us would disappear into the fog. This is during the daytime and supposedly in broad daylight. Vehicles would need to turn on their lights so others may see them on the road.

The sign along Belleview Drive states the obvious. There should be more signs like this located strategically along the Tagaytay - Calamba Road and others usually cloaked in the fog we experienced in Tagaytay recently.

I assume there would be similar situations elsewhere including in Baguio City. We also experienced fog (not smog) in Antipolo but these were quick to dissipate unlike the ones in Tagaytay and Baguio.