What P3.5 billion per day can buy

A lot of fantastical figures have been thrown about the past few days for us to think about: P800 million in lotto pot money; supposedly zero people incarcerated during Martial Law; and $1 trillion valuations for Apple and Amazon each.

For motorists crawling their way to work and home every single day, one figure does stand out: P3.5 billion lost in traffic. Every day.

That’s the productivity loss caused by Metro Manila traffic, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

JICA advises the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on how to improve the traffic situation, and warns that if nothing is done, this cost will rise to P5.4 billion per day by 2035.

Fortunately, something is being done, if only, like global carbon emissions, to reduce traffic to a previous level of nefariousness.

Just like speculating what we can do with an P800 million win at the lottery, let’s consider for a moment: If we can actually collect and use the P3.5 billion that’s wasted per day, how can we use it to improve traffic?

Electrify all public transport.

Metro Manila has about 13,000 buses according to a report from the Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

If the government could replace them all with nearly silent, non-polluting electric buses, the benefits for public health and reduction in emissions would be immense.

Now if we could replace those reckless bus drivers….

Cost: 13,000 buses x P23 million per bus = P299 billion. Time to recoup cost: 85.42 days.

Build a subway. Or more.

There’s light at the end of the tunnel—a subway tunnel, that is, if and when we finally get to build one.

The Metro Manila Subway Project currently on the drawing board will be a 25.3-kilometer underground rail system stretching from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to the Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig City.

This one couldn’t be built sooner. Or better yet, as John Hurt’s character said in “Contact,” First rule in government spending: why build one when you can have two at twice the price?

Cost: P356.9 billion. Time to recoup cost: 101.97 days. For two: 203.94 days.

Build more bridges.

One cause of congestion is the limited number of bridges crossing Manila’s main river, the Pasig River.

There are only 19 bridges along the 27-km length of the Pasig River, or 0.7 bridges/km.

Compare this to the 37 bridges across the 13 km of the Seine River that runs through Paris, or 2.84 bridges/km.

Cost of three upcoming bridges: P4.6 billion for the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge; P1.6 billion for the Pasig-BGC Bridge, and P1.4 billion for the Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge.

Total cost: P7.6 billion. Time to recoup cost: 2.17 days.

Install more intelligent traffic lights.

Smart traffic lights allow traffic engineers to monitor congestion choke points and quickly adjust traffic signal patterns to help clear traffic jams.

Microwave sensors, video cameras, and electronic pass readers measure traffic volume and vehicle travel times.

Instead of using preset signal pattern times, a smart traffic light system can respond automatically to backups or blockages.

Each intersection will need about P880,000 for upgrading. Cost to upgrade 500 intersections in Metro Manila: P400 million. Time to recoup: 2.74 hours.

Build more elevated highways.

Edsa and C-5 are already carrying many times over their originally planned capacity, causing daily congestion.

Elevated highways can speed traffic flow by increasing the road’s capacity.

Cost of Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3: P37.43 billion. Time to recoup cost: P10.69 days.

Implement an effective congestion charge on certain roads.

Imposing a toll on certain roads, say Edsa and certain CBDs during peak hours, could reduce traffic in those areas.

This will be a controversial solution, as previously free-to-use streets become toll roads, but this is better than and more equitable than an enforced High-Occupancy Vehicle scheme.

Cost: Singapore implemented its fully automated Electronic Road Pricing system in 1998 for the equivalent of P12 billion in today’s money, with maintenance cost of P19.73 billion over 20 years. Total cost is P31.726 billion. Time to recoup: 9.06 days.