Instead of wasting time over the cancelled three railway projects to be financed by China, but which was not funded, a commuters’ group and a transport expert from UP are asking the Marcos administration to focus on finding solutions to the current transport woes.
A transport expert from the University of the Philippines asked the Marcos administration to focus more on current transport woes of the country, rather than on what to do about the three canceled railway projects with China.
“For now, Jose Regin F. Regidor, a research fellow at the University of the Philippines-Diliman National Center for Transportation Studies suggested that Department of Transportation must focus on developing other modes of public transport to immediately address the increasing demand for mobility and the current transport crisis.
“The new administration would be better off looking for solutions to transport problems that can be implemented immediately or over a shorter period. These include reforms in public transport regulations and operations that focus on increasing the supply side of public transport while also attempting to improve quality of service particularly on improving travel times for commuters,” he told Business Mirror.
Regidor noted that the previous administration’s Libreng Sakay (Free Ride) Program, an initiative that was adopted by the current administration for until the end of 2022 should not be considered as part of the solutions list that the government should undertake.
“Libreng Sakay is not sustainable since there is the same poor quality of service and there [are] limited funds to cover most cities in the country. Perhaps exclusive lanes for public transport along most corridors—not just Edsa—can be considered, showing priority for public transport over private vehicles,” he said.
“Motorcycle taxis and bicycles can also help reduce dependence on private cars but safety concerns need to be addressed to encourage people to bike or use two-wheeler taxis for their regular commutes,” he added.
In the longer term, however, he still recommends the development of mass transit modes such as train systems.
False hopes
Komyut spokesman Toix Cerna lamented that the shelving of the three railway projects reflects how the previous administration deceived the public and gave them false hopes for better public transport systems.
“As commuters, the most painful part of the cancellations is the feeling of being given false hopes through press releases that swayed the attention of the public from their daily crisis to grandiose projects that the Duterte government promised, which proved to be non-existent,” Cerna said.
He appealed to the new administration to “focus on the transportation crisis, especially the lack of public utility vehicles on the road.”
“They should examine how traditional public utility jeepneys are being barred from plying their routes by the delayed issuance of permits from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. The public transport needs of today should have been addressed yesterday,” Cerna said.
Tags: #transportation, #cancelled3railwayprojects, #Chinafunding, #focusoncurrenttransportwoes