I celebrate my 33rd birthday this week. The older you get, the more you realize you want less material possessions but, well, things that are quite harder to come by. I made a birthday wish list and thought of sharing it with our readers.
1.) More and better roads. The Philippines is a beautiful place to live in but unfortunately, getting around is admittedly a nightmare. A short, 5-kilometer drive from my home right outside of Ortigas Center to, say Greenhills, can take well over an hour. Friends who went on a recent BMW Drive to Tagaytay took over 5 hours to get home last week. We need more roads, better, wider ones with better surfaces to help alleviate traffic. Extend the Skyway all the way to Calamba? Connect SLEX and NLEX via another elevated highway system? More flyovers, underpasses and tunnels to eliminate stop sign/traffic lights and keep traffic flowing better, faster? Sounds like very good ideas.
2.) Higher speed limits. The NLEX, SLEX, SCTEX, STAR and other major highways could use an increase in speed limits. I’d like to propose a 120 km/h speed limit, with an additional 20 km/h tolerance for overtaking, raising speeds to 140 km/h total. Why? Well, our highways are slowly becoming truly world class, and that means they are safer for higher speeds, which means less time on the roads to help decongest our highway systems, and more time doing what we want: to be with loved ones, at work, school or play. Is it more green-friendly? Taken on its own, probably not. But realistically, methinks that if you can get to where you want to sooner and spend less time in traffic due to fewer cars being on the road at any given time, then you’ll probably save more fuel because you’re not wasting it idling away in traffic.
3.) Stricter driver’s licensing requirements. While it’s hard to weed out corruption especially at a small scale in government offices, I think the best way to help the general driver’s skill level in the country is through stricter enforcement of driving license requirements. In other countries, would-be drivers are required hours upon hours of driving in varying conditions all logged and attested to by a government-certified driving instructor. The cost of acquiring and securing your driver’s license for a first-time driver in Germany I believe is around 5,000-7,000 euros, most of which is paid for special driver’s training programs in varying conditions, with a driving instructor. Perhaps not that expensive, but something similar in spirit. It’s a far cry from when I took my driver’s license exam where I simply sat in a jeepney and that was it for the practical test.
4.) Stricter vehicle inspections. In countries like the UK, USA and Japan, vehicles undergo strict vehicle inspections prior to receiving their registration, some annually, some every two years. The tire tread depth and wheel alignment, lighting, brake system and of course engine emissions are tested to see if they are within safe operable conditions. The vast majority of vehicles on the road are unfortunately poorly maintained, with equally unskilled drivers, on less than ideal road conditions, surely a perfect concoction for a major accident and the ensuing traffic jam. If cars were better maintained, and were banned from being used on the road until they were deemed safe, the roads will be clearer, cars will be safer and people’s lives would be far less in danger.
5.) Proper pedestrian crossing lanes and overpasses. The biggest risk we have as a pedestrian is that we all tend to be lazy and simply want to cross a busy thoroughfare through the nearest possible points. Which spells for disaster. The problem is, it is nigh on impossible to discipline the general public, than to simply eliminate possible situations where jaywalkers can simply cross the roads. Erect sturdy tall walls on the center islands of busy streets, high enough to keep them from being scaled, and strong enough to prevent them from being vandalized or destroyed. Put up that wall like you mean business!
6.) Better lit roads. At night, our poorly surfaced roads are like a minefield for unsuspecting motorists that have poorly maintained cars (poor headlights, underinflated old tires). And when a vehicle blows a tire and gets stranded, the driver becomes ripe for the picking for criminals at night. And the vehicle becomes a road hazard which can cause further accidents because other cars might not see it on the road.
I don’t ask much. I just want things to be safer, and more enjoyable for motorists on the road really. I honestly feel that if we had better roads with less traffic, our economy will progress better and faster, and we’ll all be safer on our way to work, school or home to be with our loved ones, and when the mood hits you and the conditions are perfect, enjoy a spirited drive, rekindling the passion for motoring we might have forgotten.