Traffic congestion in Metro Manila is a major urban challenge in the Philippines, affecting economic productivity, public health, and quality of life. Metro Manila, officially known as the National Capital Region (NCR), is home to over 24 million people and ranks among the most congested metropolitan areas globally.

Overview

According to a "Global Driver Satisfaction" survey conducted by the navigation app Waze in 2015, Metro Manila had the "worst traffic on Southeast Asia". Emerson Carlos, MMDA assistant general manager for operation has mentioned that in 2015, motor vehicle registrations in Metro Manila peaked at around 2.5 million.

Causes Infrastructure problems One of the primary causes of traffic density within Metro Manila is the current transportation infrastructure. Overall, there is a lack of quality infrastructure thus insufficient modes of mobility.

The Duterte administration has promised that the coming years will be the "golden age of infrastructure", with a record $168 billion to be spent on 5,000 projects across the nation”.

Road network The road network of Metro Manila consists of radial (R-1 to R-10) and circumferential (C-1 to C-5) roads. These are the principal arteries within the city, however given the density of vehicles within the metropolis the roads have become inadequate. "Metro Manila only has 1 km of road per 424 vehicles."

Furthermore, the roads are of poor quality and do not receive maintenance. For example, in the scope of the entire country, "Of the 31,400 km of national roads in the system, only about 45% (14,200 km) were assessed as being in good or fair condition in November 2011.”

The railway system

The current railways carry around 1.3 million passengers per day and spans in 4 different lines. In 1998, plans for a railway expansion were implemented however only of the planned was actually built. As such, there exists a lack of an adequate non-road-based public transportation system. This is made evident with the problem of overcrowding during peak hours, which is at 4:00pm to 5:00 pm.

Road-based Public Transport In Metro Manila, a variety of road-based public transport, such as tricycles, taxis, buses, and jeepneys which are all privately owned "account for more than 50% of daily commuting trips, incur no subsidy, and with low productivity.” Meanwhile, "car travel accounts for 30% of person-km, but constitutes 72% of the road traffic in terms of PCU-km.” The high number of vehicles on the road, which could be attributed to the high population, is one of the contributors to traffic congestion.

Urban planning problems According to renowned urban planner Felino Palafox Jr., Metro Manila used to be an example of good urban planning until the mid-1970s. Palafox cited gated communities within central business districts, and the decision of local government units within the metropolitan area to "throw away" the Metro Manila Zoning Ordinance in the 1990s, as contributors to Metro Manila's urban planning "mess".

Urban area expansion The urban area of Metro Manila has experienced a high growth rate in population. In 2000–2001, the city experienced a rate of 1.8%, resulting from the spillover of people from nearby towns, cities, and provinces. The urban planning of the city is not adequate for the high population density. Statistics show that the city must "accommodate about an additional two million to six million by 2030.”

Traffic congestion Today, traffic demand is at 12.8 million trips in Metro Manila. Most of these trips are made using the public transport owing to its 69% share of total trips. The lesser share of the trips is done by private mode and yet it is this mode that takes up 78% of road space. At the current state, the traffic already exceeds the capacity of existing roads.

Economic theories The Roadmap for Transport Infrastructure for Metro Manila and its Surrounding Areas (Region III & Region IV-A) study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in response to the National Economic Development (NEDA) request for assistance in creating a guide for transport development in Metro Manila, the two regions of Central Luzon and CALABARZON. The guide was made to help NEDA deliberate on the contents of a short-term (2014 - 2016) and a medium term (2017 - 2022) transport investment program (TRIP).

For the short-term transport investment program (TRIP), it takes the goals of the Philippine Development Plan for 2011 to 2016 and makes it into projects in the transport sector. It has invested as much as 5% of the GDP in infrastructure as one of the five key strategies to achieving the TRIP. A huge difference from the previous investing rate, which was as low as 2% of the GDP.

Same study has also found that during their research period, the Metro Manila traffic was costing the city and the people Php 2.4 billion per day in the year 2012 which increased to Php3 billion in 2015http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/09/16/1500512/metro-manila-traffic-costing-philippines-p3-billion-day. And, if no measures are undertaken, this transport cost can rise up to Php 6.0 billion per day in 2030. This is will be worst-case scenario in the increase of transport costs in Metro Manila and the areas of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite if there will be no improvements done on the transport infrastructure of these areas and the Philippines overall.

High population In Busina: Current State, Alternatives and Emerging Filipino Values on Metro Manila Traffic, Metro Manila is classified as a global power city. This is because of majority of the industries present in the Philippines have located their offices in the National Capital Region (NCR). The city is also where all the foreign consulates and embassies are situated. This makes NCR the home of finance and commerce, hence the allure of in-migration from Filipinos from the provinces. Although this is not the main cause of road traffic in the city, the influx of people adds to it.

Yves Boquet, in his paper Battling Congestion in Manila: The EDSA Problem, quotes Robert Cervero in saying globalization, outsourcing and relocating much of the manufacturing activities are just some of the other causes that add to the high population in Metro Manila. These activities are mainly responsible for the influx that was previously mentioned. These activities are creating the job that appeal to people in the province to make the move.

Growing car ownership Another cause of heavy traffic in the cities is the increase of the purchasing power of most people in Metro Manila. According to Euromonitor's Consumer Lifestyles in the Philippines (2015), young professionals in the Metro tend to buy small cars such as Toyota Wigo, Mitsubishi Mirage, and Honda Jazz that adds to road congestion. This is due to the affordability of the said cars, which gives them reason not to use public transport.

Referring back to the study that dubs EDSA as the main passageway of the Greater Manila area, the city accounts for 35.7% of the Philippines’ economic output, 18% of its population and 28% of its motor vehicles. All of which are accommodated on barely 0.2% of the country's land area.

According to the study of MMDA, in EDSA alone, there are 247,527 private 4-wheel vehicles that ply every day. It has the highest number compared to motorcycles, taxi, bus, and trucks.

Public transportation system

The main modes of public transport in the Philippines are jeepneys, buses, taxis, trains and tricycles, all of which are readily available in Metro Manila. The introduction of transportation apps Grab and Uber came in 2013 and 2014, respectively, further widening the options of public transport. The Philippine traffic was considered the world's 9th worst in 2015 by Numbeo despite this range of public transport options. Although there is a wide array of choices, the public still spend an average of 45.5 minutes before reaching their workplace. This is why most Filipinos still find travelling via public transport inconvenient due to the high vehicle density and the unavoidable traffic congestion, according to Euromonitor's Consumer Lifestyles in the Philippines (2015).

Road accidents According to Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) data from 2008 to 2011 and a study of the severity of road crashes in Metro Manila, accidents that involved heavy and multiple vehicles, and an elderly pedestrian (60 years old and above), as well as those that occurred during the evening (7 pm to midnight) and late at night (1 am to 5 am) had significantly higher odds of resulting in a fatal outcome. But when the crash involves a female pedestrian and when the road surface is wet the odds of a fatal outcome are lower. The study found that most accidents involving pedestrians happen on high-speed, high-traffic-volume, multilane roadways, that are surrounded by land uses that generate a mix of heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic. It was also found that fatal crashes involving pedestrian happen close to different types of transit stations.

Effects

Societal

The congestion of vehicles on the road is not entirely unhealthy for the society. In a more specific viewpoint, the congestion between vehicles within a particular region, allows the circulation of other vehicles. Congestion occurs inevitably in highly urbanized sectors where the ratio between the population of people and the given area is not proportional and when the demand is high. In some cases, it is even desirable up to a certain point since getting rid of it imposes higher costs than allowing it to persist. The main social effects that occur due to the congestion of vehicles are namely: wasting of time (non-productivity; opportunity cost), delays, frustrated drivers/motorists/passengers, encouraging road rage.

Economic

Congestion on the road, from an Economic viewpoint suggests that higher levels of congestion are related to faster economic growth. However, above a certain limit, congestion starts to become a detriment to economic growth and the overall welfare of society, rather than an asset. This is due to the cost of the alleviation of congestion in some cities would be higher than the cost of congestion itself.

Loss of Revenue for Public Transport Public transport, trucks and other services are also affected by the traffic in Metro Manila. Instead of being able to do three or four round trips, they usually end up doing less; which means a significant loss in revenues, and ultimately leading to a failing business. Public transportation also suffers in that the available schedules become less frequent and the time spent waiting is longer.

Environmental effects

Traffic congestion has massive effects on the environment, specifically its contribution to air pollution. Air pollution has affected the lives of a number of Filipinos. The WHO said that air pollution is killing millions worldwide, including those in developing countries like the Philippines. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) noted that dirty air threatens the lives of 12 million residents.

The effects of pollutants found in vehicle exhaust include the following: High levels of nitrogen oxide are toxic to humans Sulfur dioxide is the primary cause of acid rain Carbon dioxide contributes to climate change by insulating more heat from the sun Ozone can impair lung function