No to one-size-fits-all approach

NATIONAL roads are constructed and maintained with public funds by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Some officials would like us to believe that all national roads should be treated like limited access highways or expressways — for the exclusive use of motor vehicles traveling at high speed. In their view, the most desirable function of a national road is to move more vehicles faster in all circumstances. They argue that such roads should be as wide as possible, with many lanes and without other users that might impede vehicle flow.

Their concept of promoting road safety is to remove slower road users (pedestrians, cyclists, tricycles, light mobility devices, etc.) from national roads so that four-wheeled motor vehicles can move faster. While this approach may be desirable on expressways and tollways, it is inappropriate and harmful when applied to urban roads that go through busy, densely populated areas with many different kinds of road users.