I AM writing this in the hope that mobility becomes a prominent campaign issue in the coming elections. We need to select the best people for the task. We need to know their understanding of the problem and what their short-, medium- and long-term prescriptions are. We should ask candidates why mobility conditions for the average Filipino are so poor and what they will do to make transportation convenient, efficient, safe and affordable for all Filipinos.
Steven Higashide, citing Harvard's Equality of Opportunity project in his book Better Buses, Better Cities, said: "A long commute is one of the biggest barriers to escaping poverty." The vast majority of Filipinos are dependent on walking, cycling and public transport. When public transport capacity is insufficient and services are unreliable, when other sustainable travel modes such as walking and cycling are unsafe or difficult, jobs, schools and basic services become inaccessible. The most affected are the poor.
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)