Citing the will of the majority of the players, President Marcos said yesterday that there would be no pause in the public utility vehicle modernization program as 22 senators have called for in a resolution. The PUVMP is still in its consolidation phase, but the government has allowed traditional jeepneys that failed to meet the consolidation deadline to continue plying certain routes without fear of apprehension.

Last Tuesday, drivers and operators of PUVs that have consolidated staged a “unity walk” protesting against the Senate resolution, pointing out that only a minority in their sector had not yet met the consolidation deadline.

In giving the green light for the PUVMP to proceed, the President cited the importance of improving the quality of mass transport services. This must be followed up with a more aggressive effort to fast-track the implementation of mass transport projects, which must include the provision of intermodal transport hubs.

There are so many private vehicles on the road because of the inadequacy and inefficiency of mass transport facilities. Neighboring countries invested heavily in subways and integrated railway-bus-taxi services many years ago, with trip schedules predictable.

While ramping up such projects, the government must also review the provision of special lanes for bicycles along EDSA and other major thoroughfares with heavy traffic density. Bicycles became popular only during the pandemic when physical distancing health protocols discouraged the use of PUVs, and even the use of private vehicles was restricted to authorized sectors. But with the end of the lockdowns and traffic back to normal, cyclists must contend with heavy pollution, dust and the tropical heat in crowded city streets, apart from the possibility of heavy rain, and many have resumed taking PUVs or using their cars.

The reality is that there are so many more motorists than cyclists in Metro Manila, and the provision of bicycle lanes must be reviewed. Special bicycle lanes can still be designated, but the use need not be exclusive, although motorists must still give way to cyclists. Those metal posts designating special bicycle lanes even along narrow streets must be removed. The road network in the National Capital Region is inadequate enough, and like much of the country suffers from unplanned and haphazard development. This problem cannot be easily undone; the heavily polluted, densely populated, traffic-choked NCR cannot turn into Amsterdam, Helsinki or Copenhagen overnight.

Private motorists will readily leave their vehicles at home if they can reach their workplaces or other destinations using mass transport as quickly and efficiently as when they drive their own cars. When most people opt for mass transportph9 online casino, there may even be an increase in the number of people using bicycles.

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