With 2023 just about done and dusted, we look forward to 2024. As 2023 was a very good year, but at the same time a difficult one, we can only hope that we would be able to sustain our indomitable spirit and keep challenging for the better in 2024. Here is a simple wish list we hope to happen in 2024.
1.) Better traffic management. The biggest crippling factor to progress and mobility, not to mention arguably the biggest source of waste, is traffic. Our roads are at over-capacity, we need better and ingenious, outof-the-box traffic management to help ease traffic, especially in the major thoroughfares of Metro Manila, to help mobility and reduce waste overall.
2.) Better and more infrastructure. The Philippine government’s single biggest weakness is future-proofing: it consistently fails to project for future demand when building infrastructure. It will project current demand, then take 3-5 years to build said infra. By the time said infra is completed, it is already at overcapacity, serving existing demand that has grown from 3-5 years prior. We need infra that is future-proofed for 10-20 years of projected demand. We need wider roads, more bridges, expressways to connect major industrial and agricultural cities and municipalities, in the province with each other, better mass transport, and better sidewalks that are safe, protected, guarded, and respected. No parked cars on sidewalls, no illegal vendor stalls, and trash obstructing the pathways.
3.) More public EV charging stations. The private sector has to introduce more public charging stations to truly help increase viability of EV ownership in the medium to long-term. That should help quell range anxiety, every EV owner’s biggest worry. For this to really thrive, the private sector needs to really step-up. Shopping centers, malls, central business districts, and even car dealerships that sell EVs must open up their charging stations to all brands. The government must also standardize the charging fees so it is fair and equitable, not to mention worthwhile for the private sector to engage in this.
4.) Better and stricter implementation of traffic rules and regulations. The roads of our country can feel like a war-zone for some, especially foreigners living in our country. While we generally respect traffic marshals, once the average motorist is left to his or her own device, we tend to take too many liberties. NCAP is a good idea but implementation needs tweaking and manning by properly trained intelligent personnel. We need better working stoplights and more traffic marshals and police / MMDA working the busy streets at all times to effectively manage traffic and act as deterrents for motorists thinking of bending / breaking the law. We also need to regulate the growing number of e-bike / e-trike users, and all other electric vehicles falling under the Land Transportation Office’s L1b EV Classification which don’t require a license and registration to use this EV. The Administrative Order needs to be revisited and tweaked to introduce the following explicitly: minimum age use requirement and strict penalties for owners among others, and although said EV may dispense with registration, I feel that the user must secure a license. Many e-bike users fail to recognize that driving on public roads is not a right but a responsibility that comes with expectations a road user must uphold; not the free for all, it currently is.
5.) Modernization of the PUVs. We are a country moving forward to a better, more progressive and sustainable society. We are very proud of our heritage. But some things should stay in the past and remain a sweet beautiful memory. Case in point: the jeepneys. These are for the most part, antiquated, pollution-causing PUVs that are unsafe by any measurable stretch in today’s safety-conscious environment. Then there is the basic lack of accountability in the event of an accident. It is no fault of the PUV operator, but the archaic system that allows it. We must allow for a system that is acceptable, affordable, and realistic for independent PUV owners to integrate themselves to, or provide an alternative for them, outside of the transport business.
These are only five of the things I find pressing, yet something both government and private sector can act upon immediately. Let’s hope the relevant parties are listening, lest this article falls onto deaf ears yet again. I’m doing my best to remain positive and optimistic.