Blaming the motorists

In criticizing a proposed bill in Congress that would give the transport secretary vast powers in dealing with the country’s traffic crisis, the militant group Piston called for the restriction in the use of private cars which supposedly outnumbered public utility vehicles (PUVs) such as passenger jeepneys.

George San Mateo, president of the Piston national chapter, said it was unfair for Congress to place restrictions on PUVs when it was the inadequate mass transport system and not them that have caused the traffic crisis.

To be fair, Congress has yet to act on the bill that requires prospective car buyers to show proof of parking space for their vehicles. This measure will help regulate car purchases which had grown by leaps and bounds thanks in large part to the creative payment schemes offered by car companies eager to turn in profits.

But the militant group Piston and other public transport groups should not be quick to blame the car owners for the traffic congestion. The government is the most convenient target of criticism at this point since it has not done much to widen roads, build bridges, modernize public transportation by building trains and acquiring buses and building industries and businesses in the countryside to divert the movement of population from the countryside to the urban centers.

Countryside development is the long term solution not only to the traffic crisis but also to overpopulation, squatting and crime in the urban centers since people won’t have to go to Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and other cities in order to secure gainful employment.

But we digress. If car owners make up most of the vehicles that pass through the country’s roads and streets, then it is not only government’s fault but the mass transport operators as well for failing to find common solutions to the problem.

For one, private motorists rarely, even if they are subscribed as drivers of the mass transport app Uber, stop in the middle of the road to pick up and drop off passengers.

Though both private vehicles and PUVs are often caught doing counter-flows that disrupt traffic, congestion is worsened with the constant road improvements and widenings that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) justifies as essential for maintenance.

Which is why a lot of Filipinos are buying their own cars for their comfort and convenience. By wishing to restrict private car use, PUV operators want to force Filipinos to ride their antiquated jeepneys and buses despite their discomfort and inconvenience if only to open up the roads and streets to them.

If they wish to demand from government to build a modern transport system and roads and from commuters to sacrifice in order to support their livelihood, then they should cleanse their ranks of abusive drivers and acquire better vehicles to service them.