Duterte targets traffic

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has been widely criticized for his encouragement of vigilante justice for drug dealers and addicts as well as his extremely undiplomatic language which included an astonishing insult aimed at President Obama. But now he has launched a new campaign that is clearly worthy of his uncompromising, no-holds-barred approach. Duterte has vowed to sort out Manila’s gridlock traffic mess. Manila is among the most congested cities in the world. The annual cost to the economy of unmoving traffic has been put as high as $16 billion. The pollution from automotive engines idling for hours at a time as traffic crawls along is clearly unacceptable. Duterte is going to create a traffic tsar who will have exceptional powers that can cut through the web of uncoordinated local government road plans and force through projects such as a stalled light rail system, the remodeling of traffic intersections and the building of flyovers. Since the president made fixing Manila’s gridlock nightmare a key campaign issue, it can be expected that whoever gets the job of sorting it out will have Duterte looking over his or her shoulder. There is no doubt that much blame can be laid at the doors of local government councilors and planning officials. They, of course, protest that they need more funding for essential work, but lack of funds is only part of the story. All too often, when it has been easier to do nothing that is precisely what they have done. The capital’s roads are crowded because despite the jams, too many people prefer their own vehicles to public transport, which has to be improved in terms of comfort and service. This surely spells the final end for the iconic jeepneys which now, since big manufacturers have closed, are only being made by a handful of small firms. These vehicles are too expensive and polluting to run. One survey concluded that a 16-seat jeepney used the same amount of fuel as an air-conditioned bus carrying 54 people. There is, however, a core problem with Manila’s traffic and that is the drivers themselves. The standard of driver training is rudimentary, the licensing system is a mess and once they get behind the wheel, Filipinos all assume that traffic regulations apply to everyone except themselves. Parking is chaotic, vehicles stop in the middle of busy roads, poorly-maintained trucks and cars break down, and frequent collisions bring traffic flows to a complete halt. And here is the rub. The capital has traffic police and parking wardens but these officers are conspicuous in their inability to enforce traffic regulations. Violations are too often ignored in return for a bribe. Cops are less interested in keeping traffic flowing than milking motorists. Therefore, part of the new tsar’s job will be to crackdown on the corruption which underpins the whole problem. If drivers knew they faced penalties, they would behave better. Driving qualifications also need tightening. Persistent violators would be made to take a tough new driving test. All of this will require re-motivated and efficient traffic police who do their job as the law requires. But this may not be easy, since when it comes to narcotics, Duterte is actually encouraging the police to ignore the law and administer or stand by while others administer summary justice.