Traffic congestion in Metro Manila last year was the second worst in the world among 416 cities in 57 countries, according to a report by Netherlands-based location technology provider TomTom.
In its 2020 Traffic Index report, TomTom said that traffic congestion in Metro Manila ranked second along with India’s Mumbai and Colombia’s Bogota with 53 percent congestion level.
Meanwhile, Moscow topped the traffic index with 54 percent congestion level while Istanbul, Bengaluru, and Kyiv, on the third spot, scored 51 percent.
According to the report, the worst time to travel in Manila is between 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday. It noted that people could save up to five hours per year (for a 30-minute commute) if they travel past 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, TomTom said that motorists who drive during rush hour spent an additional 20 minutes in the morning and another 29 minutes in the evening. In a year, it said that motorists who get behind the wheel during rush hour spent a total of 188 hours (7 days and 20 hours) on the road.
EDSA Decongestion Masterplan
The Department of Public Works and Highways is eyeing the completion of its grand EDSA Decongestion Masterplan by 2022.
By then, Public Works and Highways Sec. Mark Villar said every city in Metro Manila can be reached in as short as 20 minutes to as long as 30 minutes.
“When the EDSA Decongestion Program is completed, we will be able to free up major thoroughfares by at least 120,000 vehicles. By 2022, every city in Metro Manila will be reachable within a 20 to 30 minute time frame,” P Villar earlier said.
The program involves 14 roads and expressways spanning 121,850 meters amounting to P180.6 billion, and 11 bridges worth P42 billion spanning 9,348 meters.
Last Jan. 15, San Miguel Corp. opened the 18-kilometer Skyway Stage 3, which links the South Luzon Expressway and North Luzon Expressway.
The P44.86 billion project is seen to reduce travel time from Buendia to Balintawak to 15 to 20 minutes from two hours. It is also expected to decongest EDSA and other major roads in Metro Manila by as much as 55,000 vehicles per day.
