Haay SLEX

On my way to and from Batangas today, I had to traverse the SLEX and endure its' severe condition. Yes, it is being upgraded and widened, but do we have to put up with the unsafe situation prevailing in its entirety? If a driver would dare to increase his driving speed, he may end up damaging the vehicle's suspension considering the uneven portions of the road. There are sudden bumps and protrusions specially in the joints of the newly built or repaired bridges.

The signages of the President and the billboards advertising various products far outnumber road signs and warnings. If one is not keen in watching which lane he would drive into, he might end up missing his exit. This is much worse during the night. Lighting is virtually non-existent and reflectorized signs are but few, making the travel a guessing game.

The barriers separating the existing highway and the newly excavated portions are altogether another matter. These are gray concrete barriers that are virtually invisible at nighttime. There are some with neon lights in them but these are of no help specially during rainy nights. It was drizzling this evening and we could barely see these barriers.

Housekeeping is not practiced. The excavated soil are most of the times splattered on the road and these turn to dangerous, slippery mud when it rains. No lights, no signs, muddy roads and hard-to-see concrete barriers are prime ingredients to vehicular disasters.

Us from Southern Luzon have had to endure these for the last two years and five months. The PNCC and the MTD Manila Expressway Corporation have been going on their own sweet, sweet time trying to make heads and tails of the upgrading and rehabilitation of the SLEX. They are expected to finish the whole thing by March 2009, but with the current speed the work is being done, we dare say that it would take more than one year to see a semblance of a modern highway. That means, one more year of driving dangerously, one more year of Russian roulette commuting.

Haaaaaay naku. Happy Halloween to all.

Reminders for the Weekend Holiday

In our rush to get home to the Provinces for the All Saints Day/All Souls Day weekend, let us be reminded of our responsibilities regarding waste minimization.

For those going on boat trips to the island Provinces, please do not throw your trash overboard. Trash bins are mandatory in sea-going vessels so please utilize those. I am reminded at this point of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and its prohibition of throwing of any waste material overboard; such prohibition is by virtue of an Ordinance thoughtfully passed by the City Sanggunian. The Ordinance is strictly implemented and due to such, people have observed the same.

Those going to cemeteries and memorial parks should be responsible for the waste they generate. Why not bring trash bags with you and place your segregated waste in them? By doing this, we would not be creating problems for the maintenance people after the deluge of visitors has passed. (Watch the evening news on Sunday and see the reports that would be made regarding the mountains of trash left behind by those who went to the cemeteries and memorial parks!) I am certain that all municipalities and cities have ordinances prohibiting the indiscriminate throwing of waste, but the implementation thereof is totally forgotten during these times.

Heavy traffic is to be expected in areas near cemeteries. I am suggesting that in order to minimize waste of gasoline and diesel fuel, vehicle owners should park a good distance from the cemeteries and walk the rest of the way. It would be the more practical and healthy alternative than stewing inside a vehicle that has its engine running while waiting to get into the memorial park.

Finally, plan your trips well. Leave early in order to allow for the unusually heavy vehicular load in the major thoroughfares. Expect that the roads to the Provinces would be filled with vehicles on Friday and the roads back to Metro Manila would be chaotic on Sunday afternoon.

Concern for the environment starts with the consciousness of our individual roles. Act responsibly and each individual act could add up to a big big whole.

Gas Usage and Traffic

Has anybody ever thought of calculating the amount of gas being needlessly spent by all the vehicles that are caught in the morning and afternoon traffic jams at Ateneo de Manila University and Miriam College?

Yesterday morning, the MMDA closed-off the lane going to Gate 2 of the Ateneo from the Katipunan-Aurora flyover. Motorists, caught unawares, were trapped by the traffic that lasted way past the usual 7 a.m. going-to-school rush. It would have helped if the MMDA announced the drastic change in advance, but no, they didn't. Us parents and the school bus service companies could have made adjustments for this had they made the announcement before they implemented the changes.

This change has been the 4th time that they have made changes in the Katipunan Road traffic scheme since June 2008. I am not complaining about the effort that they are exerting; I am even lauding the MMDA for that. What I am peeved at is that the MMDA cannot communicate the changes that they are planning before implementing them. I am appalled at the waste in fuel resulting from the traffic jams created by the very system that seeks to solve the problem.

Calling on the MMDA!!!

In case they have forgotten, they have their own Traffic Radio at 1206 in the AM band and the MMDA Chairman has a weekly TV Program. Why can't these be used to announce the changes that the MMDA seeks to implement? Dozens of tarpaulin advertisements hang in the lampposts at the Katipunan area; why can't they put printed informative announcements if ever they are planning to do some changes in the traffic flow there?

All that we need here is plain common sense. But then, common sense indeed is not common and due to this, we need to endure the traffic and waste gas at Katipunan.

Backsliding

During the previous month, we were elated with the facts provided by the MMDA and the LRTA regarding two statistics: one, the decrease in the number of private vehicles traveling along the main thoroughfares of Metro manila during peak hours and two, the increase in the number of commuters using the LRT and MRT.

Premium gasoline breached the P60.00 level and diesel fuel hovered near P58.00. With that, most people decided to limit usage of their private vehicles and instead opted to try the trains in commuting in Metro Manila. This augured well for the improvement of Metro Manila's Air Quality, what with lesser vehicles emitting toxic gases into the atmosphere.

The last two weeks saw the big decrease in the pump prices of all gasoline products. Today, crude oil prices went below US$90.00 per barrel. Us, people of the Philippines are back to our old ways. We are back to using our cars more often and abhorring using public transport again. Of course I understand how hard it was to use the light trains during the gas price crises months of August and September; I saw for myself how packed the trains were at all times of the day. What I do not understand is how we are back to using the private vehicles again for unnecessary trips.

During the times when gas prices were soaring, we seldom used the car in running errands and short trips. Nowadays, we are once again utilizing the car in going to the grocery store which is but two blocks away, in going to the village basketball court which is but a short 5 minute walk from our house and doing myriad things using our cars that we dare not did when pump prices were sky high.

MEA CULPA. Last night, I realized that I was doing these things myself and this prompted my blog writing. I just had to write and decide to take positive action.

Starting again today, I resolve to walk more often, ride the LRT more frequently and minimize car usage. If this would not amount to something much, at least I have my contributed my little share in caring for the air we breathe.