Completely insane traffic

ONE measure of our mobility crisis is that traffic and transportation have become media front-page material. You have navigation software company Tomtom rating Metro Manila as having the world's worst traffic. Then Coldplay composes a song to lament the country's world-class road congestion at a recent concert. As 55,000 fans cheered him on, Chris Martin captured the sentiments of an entire nation with the lyrics, "There is only really one thing that remains. The traffic here in Manila is completely insane."

What is astounding, but truly lamentable, are the subsequent statements and reactions from Philippine officials, especially those who have major responsibility for our traffic and transportation emergency. Instead of recognizing the problem and offering solutions, the response of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority acting Chairman Romando Artes was to dispute Tomtom's findings and question its methodology.