While everyone (myself included) is going gaga over the 28th Manila International Book Fair this August 29 to September 2, others (myself included) are muttering the same word -though you’d have to replace the last letter with an o- as the adjective with which they would describe MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando after his latest implemented rule.

No more U-turn slots along C-5.

Whether you’re coming from Greenmeadows Avenue or from Santolan, you’re going to have to go all the way to the corner of Ortigas Avenue, under the flyover, to arrive at your C-5 destination (Eastwood City for most) - that is, if the place happens to be on the other side of the road. The result of this, as I’ve observed during the several times I had to go to City Walk last week, can be severe symptoms of road rage - for motorists, public utility vehicle drivers, pedestrians, commuters, call center employees, and (allegedly) Fernando’s own wife. (If you click on the link to this ABS-CBN Interactive story, you’ll enjoy a bit of whimsy about the MMDA Chair noting aloud that the turn is “malayo pala.”)

I am reserving further comment - at least until this and next week. Anyway I’ll be joining the rest of the Manilenyos at the World Trade Center for the book fair, far away from the congestion at C-5. (By the way, the wonderful and groundbreaking digest, Philippine Genre Stories, will be making its third issue available at the Anvil Publishing Booth.)

Happy reading and see you there!

According to the MMDA, over 190 pedestrians were killed in the Metro last year. To think of all the projects in terms of keeping pedestrians on the sidewalk - Tao sa bangketa marketing, sidewalk repair, increase of pedestrian overpass and the infamous (but effective?) wet flag program - pedestrians can’t help to keep themselves from getting run over?

I mean really, how could anyone miss giant pink signs that read “WALANG TAWIRAN NAKAMAMATAY” (roughly translated, “DO NOT CROSS, DEADLY”)?

More Information:
Inquirer - Metro streets more deadly for pedestrians
Photo from angrylittleboy of Flickr

This stolen peaceful moment reminded me that even with its racing jeepneys and unruly pedestrians, I love Manila!

This bus almost ran us over. From White Plains to Cubao, this Jell Transport monster tackled EDSA like he was racing against time. The bus driver was undaunted by endless honking from his potential crash victims. It was terrible, terrible, terrible. My companion gripped the wheel angrily as we watched this bus ahead of us wreak havoc on EDSA.
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Yesterday afternoon, I faced a difficult decision to make: take the bus or MRT going to Quezon city from Makati? It may seem silly, but with the terrible traffic conditions and the scorching weather, it’s essential to make the right decision if you want to arrive at your destination in one piece or at least in a good mood and still fresh.

In the midst of weighing the pros and cons of each, I suddenly raised my hand and hailed a cab. That was probably the best cab ride I’ve ever had in Manila. From Ayala Avenue, the cab driver turned left at Paseo de Roxas and went up the Buendia flyover going to C-5. From there, we went up and down several flyovers along the stretch of C-5 from Makati all the way to Quezon City.

The latest installment to the set was the Boni Serrano - Katipunan (?) interchange, which composed of a flyover and 2 underground tunnels. It was the cause of terrible traffic jams and several vehicular accidents, which of course, resulted to numerous complaints. Today, hoever, I wonder if they’re still complaining.

The entire trip from Ayala Avenue to Katipunan took about 50 minutes — an impossible feat if we went via EDSA.

My trip back to Makati is different altogether. From Katipunan, I took the new LRT to Recto, and planned to take the old LRT to Vito Cruz. While the new LRT was (once again) a pleasant experience, the next leg was something typically Pinoy.

Instead of riding the old LRT, I decided to take the jeep to Divisoria. The wide expanse of C-5 and the strict discipline enforced at the LRT presents a stark contrast to the lively world of Divi.

The road that can accomodate 4 lines of vehicles was reduced to letting only cars pass one at a time. Street vendors and their wares crowd the streets and at least a meter of the road from the gutter on both sides. Pedestrians and street peddlers squeeze around what little space left as vehicles of various sizes pass through the very busy street. Vehicles move at a snail’s pace. Jeeps, buses and FX taxis stop every 3 feet loading or unloading passengers, causing everybody behind to also stop.

Divisoria has been like this for as long as I can remember. I do however remember a time when one of the main streets, was surprisingly clean of trash and vendors. Sadly, that only lasted for a couple of months. It wasn’t surprising though, that the street went back to how it was before. Whenever traffic enforcers try to get the vendors off the road and back in the streets, the vendors would just move their wares back by a meter, and move back when the official has walked off.

The contrast between these two experiences shows us two things: That there’s hope for us to progress as long as we support and promote the development of infrastructures. However, if we always protest change and refuse to be disciplined, we’ll always remain in this state.