It's the last day of a tumultuous 2024 as I write this, and the chaos isn't limited to our politics or our economy — it's just as bad, if not worse, on our roads. We've seen traffic jams clogging our streets from the usual morning and evening rush hours, stretching into hours-long congestion.It was actually quite pleasant to see Metro Manila during and shortly after the pandemic, from around 2020 to 2022. Then people — and their cars — started coming out again, and the discipline we had during those pandemic years vanished, bringing us back to our old ways. They say old habits die hard, and many of our drivers are, in fact, old.Of course, I have to commend the younger generation. They often attend proper driving schools, have knowledge of traffic rules, and generally try to be courteous and careful on the road. But how can anyone keep composure when, while driving properly and following the rules, a whole bunch of older drivers cut into the lane, hog the road, or counterflow — treating rules like mere suggestions because they believe their time is more important than everyone else's?My uncle once told me that about two generations of older drivers need to be taken off the road ('die' was his exact word — pardon the term, but it's apt) for us to see any real order in our streets. He said this specifically includes public utility drivers, truck and commercial vehicle drivers, and operators of buses, jeepneys, taxis, and tricycles. In his view, these drivers inherited bad driving habits from their predecessors and are the main cause of traffic congestion. I believe him.Another factor we must address in 2025 is traffic enforcement. Traffic enforcers — whether in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao or any other city — seem less focused on maintaining order and more on catching motorists who make mistakes. If there's a tangle in the traffic flow, many enforcers won't step in to untie the knot; they wait until a driver commits a violation, then pounce on the offender who was just trying to escape the jam.And what's with all the hand-waving, anyway? The road is already clogged, traffic isn't moving, and the enforcer in front just keeps motioning for you to drive forward, without even looking to see if the cars ahead have moved. I've always said traffic is a job for people who understand how it works. I'm not dismissing those enforcers who truly stand in the heat to untangle gridlocks — they should be praised. But there's a concept called the Peter Principle, where an individual is promoted to a position they're not equipped to handle. Traffic, if you think about it, is a science of flow: certain principles must be followed to keep movement continuous and efficient. Our enforcers' habit of clearing one lane entirely before letting the other lanes move is a classic example of misguided traffic management.Traffic flow is one continuous, interconnected system in a community — like veins and arteries in a body. If an artery is blocked, the entire body fails to function properly. Our traffic looks like we're experiencing daily, or even hourly, strokes. We need traffic enforcers who grasp the science of traffic flow and can implement the rules properly; otherwise, we're in for a long nightmare. Let's also pay them well because, as my mentor Cito Beltran always says, 'Pay peanuts, get monkeys.'Finally, can we get serious about road infrastructure in Metro Manila? The EDSA Bus Carousel was a good start; we need more solutions of that nature. I have two suggestions. First, let's fully overhaul EDSA, which is arguably one of the most poorly designed highways in the world. If we tell people to endure a year of inconvenience so EDSA can be rebuilt properly, we can have better flow afterward. Of course, we should hire real urban planners and, for once, actually follow their advice.Second, let's build more bridges across the Pasig River. One major cause of traffic jams is that there are only four main bridges connecting the northern and southern parts of Metro Manila: Guadalupe, C5 in Pasig, the Makati–Mandaluyong Bridge, and the bridge at Rockwell. Over a million cars travel across Metro Manila daily, yet only one of those bridges has six lanes in each direction, while the rest have only two. It's no wonder we're stuck in gridlock.I don't mean to dampen the New Year spirit, but since it's the start of the year, we might as well point out how to make things better as 2025 rolls in. Here's hoping for a Happy New Year — and safer, smoother driving for everyone.
