Let’s not romanticize, as some politicians have been wont to do, the pressing issue of heavy traffic that is now affecting major roads in Laguna’s 1st and 2nd districts.
Last week, Cabuyao City in particular became the object of ire in social media after traffic near the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) interchange – a major gateway to the city’s major industrial hubs – came to an almost complete standstill.
While the case of that snarl-up was later found out to be a truck that broke down in the middle of the road, the incident forced into public discussion an issue that most local government units (LGUs) and even the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have tried to sidestep: what are we going to do about the worsening problem of traffic here in Laguna province?
While Laguna province has boasted of an impressive economic growth in past years, sustained by industries and sectors that have finally recovered from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fact is that our road infrastructure has not kept up with the growing demands of our economy.
Roads are being built and widened, yes, but the fact is that our traffic volume is still growing at a faster rate than our roads are being laid out.
This, and the fact that many projects that are meant to resolve our long-standing lack of efficient public transportation are still years away from completion, meant that not only are we having too many cars on the road, but that our roads are wearing out faster than before.
The challenge is now up to both the national and the local governments to ensure that our road infrastructure can keep up with the demands of an economy that has become one of the fastest in the Philippines.
Otherwise, it is exactly that same problem with traffic that will kill off chances of investments, employment and livelihood in our province.
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