On the Katipunan jeepney terminal
The Katipunan jeepney terminal under the Katipunan-Aurora flyover is still there. I read some social media posts saying otherwise and that it was removed due to a greening project by the MMDA. As this was along my regular commute, it was easy to check the situation there.
Business is as usual at the terminal. What are now subject to some construction work are the bicycle parking and plant boxes under the flyover that are close to the terminal.
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Is it the wet season already?
It has been raining the past few days though it’s still quite hot especially from the morning til noontime. While the rains were not exactly downpours for most cases, today was probably the heaviest in terms of visibility (near zero), coverage (it was raining along my entire commute from Quezon City to Antipolo) and length (about an hour). This was what it looked like with the wipers off:
The rains are definitely welcome from the perspective of temperatures. It gives us cooler weather everywhere though short showers often lead to even hotter and humid conditions (singaw?). The flash floods also help us not to forget the anomalous and immoral actions of politicians and DPWH officials.
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No more Panay-Boracay Bridge?
The news today included two items welcomed by various groups including environmental advocates. One was about the proposed bridge connecting Boracay Island to Panay. The other was on the halt on the tree cutting related to the SALEX project. Both involved San Miguel Corporation. I wrote about the proposed bridge last April and how it was not at all a necessity considering the character of Boracay. It would have been a folly to build a bridge, free or tolled, to a small island that’s main attraction is its beaches. Unlimited, easy access would bring droves of people there and lead to faster deterioration of the conditions including the environment. If the government decides on another freeze in activities for the island to recover, that will surely mean losses for the bridge concessionaire. Do we really need to bring in more traffic to an island that’s exceeded its carrying capacity?
I have not written about the tree-cutting but have written about the loss of trees elsewhere including roads where we have done fieldwork along in the past. I recall the Kamatchile trees that used to line up along long sections of McArthur Highway in Tarlac. They’re lost now after the DPWH cut them down for their road widening projects. The same happened to other trees, including very old one that are hard to replace, along other national roads in many provinces where DPWH implemented its road widening projects despite having no demand for it in many cases. This is the problem if the main Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of the DPWH is kilometers of road widened. Of course, in this case, the question is if the tollway is actually necessary. My frustration and disappointment is that government keeps encouraging tollway development with the private sector when the biggest challenge is the development of mass transit systems for our rapidly growing cities. The incentives should go there instead of more tollways.
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Flash floods in May
It finally rained all over Metro Manila and Rizal today. This morning’s rains were light. The drizzle was enough though to prevent me from walking the dogs. The afternoon rains were more intense though in bursts rather than sustained. Still, this resulted in flash floods everywhere. The photo below shows the situation along Katipunan Road in White Plains.
The flash floods bring us again to the flood control mess that remains unresolved. It is not just a problem of the poor, or the middle class but of everyone affected by the floods. It’s just that many are more severely affected than others. The photo above might be a slight concern of the more wealthy people in that neighborhood. They probably don’t need to worry of flood waters entering their homes and damaging properties. Other people are not as lucky and have to deal with floods for a major part of the year. The suffering is real and it’s also because many chose to elect inept, incompetent and corrupt people who themselves enabled other inept, incompetent and corrupt people to proliferate and operate with no regards for morality, even humanity.
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Is the pre-crisis traffic back?
The energy crisis resulting from the US war vs. Iran has led to a reduction in travel attributed to people reducing unnecessary trips. This was basically to save money that would otherwise be spent to cover increasing fuel prices. Reduced travel or trips mean less traffic along our roads and so has led to reduced travel times. People were sharing that it took them less than an hour from Quezon City to Antipolo Simbahan during a typical afternoon. Fortunately, too, the increasing prices coincided with the end of school for most school across the country and so students were already going on their breaks – further reducing trips.
The past days though, it seems traffic is back as the usual traffic congestion has been observed along major roads. While there have been reductions in fuel prices the past weeks, the prices are still higher compared to pre-crisis prices. So the question now is whether people have already adjusted to the expensive fuel prices one way or another? Not everyone can purchase an electric or hybrid vehicle. Not so many would have shifted from private vehicles to public transport. And not so many will be limited in their desire to travel for whatever purpose including recreational trips.
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Second Call for Papers for TSSP 2026
The Second Call for Papers for the Transportation Science Society’s 32nd Annual Conference is out. I am sharing here the call for those who may want to present or publish their papers, or perhaps participate by attending the conference. This year, the conference will be hosted by Cagayan State University in Tuguegarao City. CSU currently conducts research on electric vehicles; particularly on electric tricycles and charging stations. This is a collaboration with UP Diliman’s Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI). The projects are supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
The paper template can be obtained by scanning the QR code provided.
CSU follows last year’s hosting by UPLB of the 31st Annual Conference. Previous host universities aside from UP Diliman were Xavier University (Cagayan de Oro), University of San Jose-Recoletos (Cebu City) and UP Visayas (Iloilo City).
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On the reduced traffic due to the energy crisis
The past weeks have seen traffic reduced along my usual routes for my commute between my home and workplace. This could be attributed to the energy crisis as, apparently, many have chosen to plan their trips and use other options other than private/personal transportation for their travels. The reduction in traffic is probably due to reduced numbers of private cars and motorcycles as people cut down on unnecessary trips. Of course, most schools are off at this time of the year so that means a significant number of trips are off the roads (and rails in the case of Metro Manila).
My travel time is only about 60 to 70% of the usual during peak hours. And about half during off-peak. That is a significant reduction in travel time and perhaps translates to not just reduced fuel consumption in general but also reduced emissions as well. On weekends, I also observed that there are less motorcycle traffic to and from Antipolo where I reside. I am referring to the groups who usually have their recreational rides during weekends. Did bicycle traffic increase? My observation is that there seems to be an increase for the weekdays but it’s about the same on weekends. Bicycles, after all, are not affected by the fuel price hikes. Perhaps people who can bike opt for the mode instead of their motorized vehicles? The only way to determine if indeed there were significant mode shift is to do surveys. But for now, careful observation not of traffic but travel times will suffice as proof of the easing of traffic due to the crisis.
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May-time pilgrimage
Last April 30-May 1, there was another ‘Alay Lakad’ to the shrine in Antipolo. The pilgrimage walk started in Quiapo Church (Black Nazarene) and ended at the Antipolo church (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage). Dubbed the “Walk for Peace,” there usually was a lot of people considering the number of devotees as well as May 1 being perhaps a holiday. Antipolo and Taytay LGUs at least put up stations for assistance to pilgrims.
We started hearing Mass again at the shrine last Sunday as our daughter prefers going there instead of at the chapel at our village. She’s gone to two Lenten Alay Lakads the past two years so maybe she felt this was a kind of pilgrimage for her, too.
For those walking from Metro Manila, there are two general routes to Antipolo. One is via Ortigas Avenue Extension and Tikling junction and the other is via Sumulong Highway and Masinag junction. You can take public transportation from Cubao or Crossing where there are jeepneys and buses. Many terminate at the Robinsons Antipolo mall terminal. But there are many other smaller terminals around the city including some near the Simbahan itself. There are also many tricycles that can take you to the shrine from various points in Antipolo including the Line 2 station at Masinag. Line 2, of course, is a convenient and fast way to get to Antipolo from Manila and Quezon City.
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On affordable and inclusive mobility in the Philippines
Here’s a quick share of an article from the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) about affordable and inclusive mobility. The observations and conclusions are actually familiar because these have been articulated before when the topics were brought up in the context of environmentally sustainable transport (EST).
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E-vehicles? Sana all!
The current energy crisis was brought about by the US waging a war against Iran, resulting in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Since much of the Philippines fuels come from the region and given the country’s dependence on oil from the Middle East, the limited supply led to steep increases in the price of fuels. One reaction to this was people suddenly purchasing hybrid and electric vehicles to replace their fossil fuel-powered vehicles, or as another vehicle in their garages. Sales of hybrid and electric vehicles surged the past weeks. However, this reaction among private vehicle owners only showed the disparity among people who struggled to find ways to commute mainly via public transportation or their only vehicle and those who can afford to own several vehicles.
One colleague joked that if you want to see what electric and hybrid models are available across various vehicle types (e.g., cars, SUVs, vans, etc.), you only need to travel along Katipunan. There you will see all types of hybrid and electric vehicles including the most popular ones to the more recent models. Many are SUVs and then there are the luxury brands somewhat being paraded by those who opt for them instead of the Chinese brands. Should we be happy for them? Maybe. Should we be envious? Maybe not. The standard defense for these purchases usually runs along the lines of the owners spending their hard-earned money. So let’s leave it at that. Let those who can afford to buy new vehicles do so if that’s their way of coping with the crisis. Meanwhile, we should lobby for better public transportation services and active transport facilities so the majority of people who need to travel can do so without having to buy their own vehicles.
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Caught (up) in traffic 