Stoplights have been a cause of heated discussion among motorists here in the Philippines. And San Pedro City, Laguna is no exception.
Amid rising oil prices due to the war in the Middle East, motorists in Laguna’s “Dormitory City” found themselves divided over the issue of whether the city should even have installed stoplights in the city’s major intersections in the first place.
Motorists’ reasoning follows two main threads.
Some argue that it was the stoplights themselves that caused heavy traffic along the National Highway, San Pedro City’s major non-toll road.
Others, however, counter that without these devices, traffic flow in the city’s main roads will degenerate into a chaotic, “devil-may-care” scenario that puts motorists and pedestrians alike at risk.
Rush hour chaos
The issue was first raised by OpinYon Laguna in a post on its social media page last March 18, concerning the non-functioning stoplights at the intersection of the National Highway, Magsaysay Road and Mabini Street in Barangay San Antonio.
That intersection, located just beyond the city’s boundary with Muntinlupa City, is one of the busiest in San Pedro City.
It provides motorists with a direct access to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) via the San Pedro Exit and the upper villages of Barangay San Antonio, as well as to the city’s downtown area.
In recent months, traffic had swelled in the area after the much-anticipated northbound portion of the SLEX San Pedro Exit was opened to motorists last year.
And this is where the stoplights should have helped manage the traffic situation.
However, motorists noted that the stoplights were prone to breaking down for days or even weeks on end, causing traffic jams in the area that sometimes stretch for almost a kilometer during rush hour.
While traffic enforcers have been deployed to handle the traffic flow during times when the stoplights don’t work, motorists have vented their frustration at the chaotic traffic situation that often results.
Not just an isolated case
The post immediately gained traction among netizens, with 148 reactions, 117 comments and 33 shares as of March 26.
In the discussions that followed the post, some netizens pointed out that the case of the San Pedro-Muntinlupa boundary was not just an isolated case.
For instance, netizen Rainier Marasigan pointed out that these periodic stoplight outages also affect two other major intersections in San Pedro City.
These include the intersection to Barangay Landayan near the Robinsons Galleria South Mall – another major chokepoint, particularly due to the surge of devotees of the Lolo Uweng Shrine every Friday – and the Pacita Complex double intersection.
“I noticed these outages have been intermittently occurring. Long ago, Elvinda [intersection] was the same. Was it cheaper fielding POSO [Public Order and Safety Office personnel] instead? Were there maintenance responsibilities in this regard?” Marasigan pointed out.
Where are the enforcers?
Other netizens also complain that traffic enforcers who were supposed to deal with the mess were sometimes “missing in action” during times when the traffic lights are out of order.
“Pagdating ng rush hour ang gulo at trapik lagi dyan. Tapos yung traffic enforcer, makikita mo nakatayo sa gilid, nagseselpon. 'Wag na kayo magtaka kung magkaroon ng aksidente diyan,” Jerome Malabanan De Haldos, a resident of Barangay San Antonio, commented.
Other motorists, however, believe that traffic enforcers are much better at managing the traffic situation than the stoplights themselves.
"Mas OK nga walang stop light at hindi trapik, nagagawa naman ng mga traffic enforcer yung trabaho nila," according to netizen Mark H R. Salaysay.
"Huwag lang may driver na pasaway, mas OK na ang walang stoplight at walang masyadong traffic. Hindi naiipon ang ma sasakyan," netizen Nory Seprado added.
As of press time, local officials have yet to give a statement to OpinYon Laguna regarding the issue.
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