2018.10.20. Long Drives in the Metro

(Right now: In Las Pinas, with the in-laws)

City driving in Metro Manila, especially one that will traverse the northernmost to the southernmost cities, is a horrible experience that I dread and avoid as much as possible. But, of course, there will always be unavoidable situations wherein I really have to hop inside my small, manual-transmission Toyota Wigo and brave the Manila roads. Just like today, when I had to drive from San Mateo to Las Pinas at midday, i.e. when trucks are allowed to ply the roads. In this post, I will list down some observations about the state of the roads, the drivers, and the metropolis itself, borne out of the hours of waiting behind the wheel. 

I know, it's illegal to be distracted by my phone, but I just couldn't resist taking a picture of the scene from on top of the flyover in C5 above the Ortigas Avenue.

The roads show signatures of uneven, decentralized development. Many of the major roads in Metro Manila have been widened to accommodate more vehicles. But I noticed that, due to the differences in the conditions of the different constituent cities inside the conurbation, the conditions of the road segments at these cities also differ. Some roads go wider at some regions, only to bottleneck and lose some lanes elsewhere. While this may be considered to be a minor issue, I think that this has important implications on the flow of vehicles over the road. Bottlenecks, if not handled correctly, may lead to traffic congestion, especially considering the attitude of the drivers in the metro (more on this later). In fact, widening at some portions, theoretically, may not be beneficial in the grand scheme of things, and may counterintuitively produce more jams.

Katipunan Avenue, one of the most widened roads over the last few years. Notice how some lanes disappear, only to reappear again afterwards.

The drivers... oh where to begin? Majority of the drivers in Metro Manila are, to put it lightly, undisciplined. For example, just staying in one’s lane, especially for lanes separated by solid line separators, is almost impossible for most drivers. Most drivers don’t even know this, in fact; some of them don’t even recognize the line separators in the first place! The sanctity of the intersections and the pedestrian zebra lanes are also, well, desecrated by these drivers. Some even honk at me for not moving forward and leaving the intersection open! And don’t even get me started on right lanes (must turn right) and u-turn slots (we have numerous of these in Metro Manila by design). Deserving of special mention here are motorcycle riders. I understand that they are designed to be able to navigate in between the four-wheeled vehicles during traffic jams. But that is not an excuse for bad behavior.

Motorcycle riders just weave carelessly through traffic, even under light traffic conditions, oftentimes at the expense of other drivers.

Driver behavior in Metro Manila reminds me so much of game theory, particularly the public goods game. This game basically explains the social phenomenon wherein individuals sacrifice individual convenience for the benefit of the group. For most advanced societies, drivers have realized that the collective good is better than their own individual convenience. In Metro Manila, sadly, I think the converse is more true. 😞

Finally, the metropolis itself is showing a mixture of decay and regeneration. Especially in Manila, where I am currently working, I am seeing very old, decrepit buildings, with some of them still being used by commercial establishments like banks and offices. While driving, it pains me to see some buildings with historical importance being left to the elements, or downright being demolished to give way to new development. Granted, these new structures are beautiful to look at, but if they are built at the expense of another building carrying with it a rich historical heritage, I am not really sure if that is good urban management.


Oh, going back to my story. Why am I driving all the way down south to Las Piñas? I will be meeting my family there, as they have been staying with my in-laws over the last few days.

Buffet with family. Free food for me!

And as it is my birthday, we went to the mall for buffet. I had a difficult time finding parking, but with free buffet enjoyed with family, it was all worth it. ■