Even before satirist Bob Ong pointed out the problem in his book “Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino?”, several traffic advocates have insisted that our traffic woes will never be resolved unless gated exclusive subdivisions are opened to the general public.
Of course, residents of these subdivisions have balked at the idea, citing (legitimate) security and privacy concerns. (And after all, how the heck can you call your subdivision “exclusive” if you allow other vehicles to pass through?)
Today, given that traffic in Metro Manila has worsened over the past decades, debates have sprung up once again on social media on whether several private subdivisions should allow (even limited) passages of “outside” vehicles to ease the metropolis’ traffic burden.
This, I believe, is where authorities should conduct surveys and studies on what I will term a comprehensive “road use plan” not just for Metro Manila but for other urban areas where subdivisions have sprouted up in past decades.
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In San Pedro City, Laguna, for instance, the issue of whether “outside” vehicles should even be allowed to pass through private subdivisions has become, to a large extent, moot and academic.
Some roads, like Pacita Avenue in Pacita Complex and Father Masi Street along Holiday Homes, have become main thoroughfares for all types of vehicles – from tricycles and motorbikes to buses and trucks.
Some subdivisions, as a result, have largely opted to enclose inner streets instead, in order to give residents a sense of security and privacy.
However, there arises a problem: who’s now responsible to the upkeep and maintenance of these secondary roads that had become main thoroughfares?
Fingers are sure to be pointed at – between homeowners’ associations (HOAs) and the private developers of these subdivisions, barangay officials, and local government officials, on whose job it is to rehabilitate these roads should they fall into disrepair.
That’s another aspect, I believe, that a comprehensive road use plan could (and should) solve.
Not only can such a plan delineate which roads can be used and by what type of vehicles, it should also solve the issue of who’s responsible for the upkeep of the secondary thoroughfares that serve as alternate routes.
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Of course, such a plan could probably fall on deaf ears in a country where “bara-bara” and chaos is the rule.
After all, the uncoordinated and chaotic system of our governance has largely benefitted corrupt public officials who take advantage of the chaos to hide the fact that they have been stealing billions of pesos from public coffers.
But if we are indeed serious in reining in the culture of corruption in our governance, we should start by crafting comprehensive, long-term solutions and ensuring that these solutions are strictly followed to the letter.
It would send a strong message to our government and society at large that we are, indeed, serious in untangling the webs of perfidy and greed and bring back genuine order that will benefit us all in the long run.
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