A Solution for Traffic

Traffic on EDSA road in Metro Manila
(Photo retrieved from Richard Reyes)

          With the boom of the car industry, millions of people from different cities have bought a car which contributes to the growth of the number of cars and of course, contribute different problems that we cannot escape and one of them is what we despise the most — Traffic.  Traffic is a problem we can't wish for it to be gone forever and this is with the increasing number of cars in the country. According to the Land Transportation Office, 11.2 million motor vehicles were registered and 28.7% of these comes from the National Capital Region (2016). Traffic has been rampant and has been getting worse as time pass and with the worsening of traffic, the government is expected to find a permanent solution that can reduce the growth of traffic and here are the reasons why.

A road accident that was caused by traffic in
Mandaue City
(Photo retrieved by Joy Torrejos)

          The reason why the government should find a solution is because traffic can cause more road accidents. Traffic can cause a person to become impatient and therefore, he/she can cause road rage. Road rage is also one reasons why these accidents happen. Around ten thousand road traffic accidents were recorded and it is the 14th most common cause of deaths in the Philippines and with every 100,000 people, 11.87 people would die (World Health Organization, 2017). The country also saw a great increase of road traffic accidents. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, from 2006, there were 6,689 accidents and it increased by 45.76% in 2015 with 10,012 accidents (2015).

Traffic in Mambaling, Cebu City as an
underpass is still under construction.
(Photo retrieved from Junjie Mendoza)

          Traffic is expensive. According to Japan International Cooperation Agency, it is estimated that the traffic congestion in Metro Manila now costs 3.5 billion pesos everyday and it has increased since the 2012 cost (2.4 billion pesos everyday). If the government will do nothing, then it will increase to 5.4 billion pesos a day in 2035, but with the different road projects of the "Build, Build, Build" project, it would go back to 2.4 billion pesos.The reason why traffic is so costly is because it reduces the productivity of the labor force and it wastes fuel (The Economist, 2014). Instead of doing something productive, a person would be stuck in traffic and would waste time in driving to his/her destination.

An aerial view of Makati City during
weekdays (above) and weekends (below)
(Photo retrieved from Frank Schuengel)

          With traffic, it can cause air pollution to the cities. According to The British Petroleum Company, our country has emitted 119.94 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and it has greatly increased since 2016 with 111.67 metric tons (2017). Carbon dioxide emissions are the main reason of air pollution and it won't only affect the environment, but also the health of the citizens with illnesses such as respiratory problems (Conserve Energy Future, 2016). This is why the government needs to find a solution as it can affect both the environment and the health of the people.

A traffic jam in Los Angeles in 1953
(Photo retrieved from the Los Angeles
Daily News)

          With these reasons, I am expecting the government to plan on something effective that can help reduce traffic. Traffic is the root cause of some problems like the lacking of roads (which is caused by the growth of vehicles), the expensiveness or the great costs, road accidents and air pollution. With an effective solution, it can lead to a very good outcome and this can benefit both the environment and people.