1) send all the non-value adding folks (squatters) back to their provinces, and establish a good agricultural program for them to develop there instead of cluttering the streets in makati and manila.

Fire all the mayors (just put OICs) and let Bayani run Metromanila.

Increase taxes of people wearing green.

i took a stroll along rizal avenue last month. recto divides the avenue between vehicular traffic and pedestrian-only. looking at the cobbled portion closed to traffic, i can see the effect it has on commercial and trading operations. retail now centers around the LRT nodes (as planned). those that used to rely on jeepney-borne customers have adjusted with regard to products and services offered. going further into the commercial area (chinatown, ongping and binondo), you can see that businesses are slowly shifting to retail operations aimed at the pedestrian market.

therefore, atienza's strategy (which began with lim) is slowly being realized. they want to build on manila's superior infrastructure (don't laugh) to bolster retail activities. you will never be able to replicate divisoria anywhere in quezon city, pasig or makati.

that's the thing with atienza, he's very good with commercial development. he's copying the hong kong model.

with regard to old manila, atienza get's a big fat zero from me. that guy has absolutely no sentimentality. he's tearing down old institutions and replacing them with new (ugly) structures. the old jai-alai building, the YMCA, the old luneta hotel ---they're all gone.

I would presume the thread starter meant Metro Manila and not the City of Manila?

If so, I think the following should help:
1. Improve and make more efficient public transportation. In any civilised society, getting from here to there comfortably and safely with the least impact on the environment is a surefire way of improving the local economy (increased productivity due to decreased transit time). Get rid of the inefficient jeep system and put in more efficient light rails. Make the sidewalks pedestrian friendly (shade trees in wide sidewalks would help in the comfort. Make use of the Pasig and Marikina river systems for public transport. Get rid of the factories and force them to relocate to areas specifically zoned for them. There is "eminent domain" in the constitution, right?

2. Neighbourhoods should setup crime watch programs in coordination with the local police force. Peace and order in necessary for this so-called "improvement".

Got interrupted from my desk so I lost my train of thought. Will add some more

One neutron bomb, anywhere in the Quiapo area, that ought to do it. Just to be on the safe side, one each also in the Baclaran area, and the 5th Avenue Caloocan area, maybe one in the Tatalon area along Araneta Ave.

on the sadistic side, if i were as mad as hitler, i'd nuke the damn place to blow everything up as smooth as glass and start all over.

seriously, i think the zoning is a terrible mess. you have factories close to residential areas, while some commercial areas are far from home.

factories should be pushed out to one of the industrial zones in the provinces and squatters should just be taken somewhere else. they're just degrading land value and potential land to start new businesses.

of course, it's easier said than done...

Careful guys, lest our suggestions be perceived as detrimental to certain economic or ethnic groups, though the humor is not lost on me. However I do agree that we need to decongest the Metro. One way would be to provide a fast train system to the neighboring provinces (Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Pampanga). This will provide a quick and efficient means of getting to the special economic zones, reducing traffic on the highways. There should also be a serious effort to stem urban migration, but I can't formulate a coherent suggestion (land reform?). Though my mother would sternly object, the country does need a strict program on population control.

a few modest proposals on the transport/road network side

1. phase out the jeepney. it's had its day. it's no longer the charming tourist attraction it used to be.

2. consolidate all transport services into a few large, professionally run groups and structure their concessions like utilities. cap profit at an acceptable rate of return. reward operators for cleanliness, reliability, on-time performance, emissions standards, and traffic law compliance. punish the rest with the threat of withdrawn concessions or other penalties. inspect for maintenance. insist that drivers and conductors be salaried, with their compensation not tied to the number of passengers they actually bring in. this is a jeepney kind of mentality and only encourages loitering at bus stops and traffic lights, which makes traffic worse for the rest of us.

3. declare eminent domain on all gated subdivisions and open up their roads. (hey, the philippines is a risky country, man. everyone should share the risk and work towards lowering it. if our leaders can hide behind gates and ignore the problem there will never be any incentive to reform things.)

Neutron Bomb.

Ban all the demonstrations when they block major streets for hours. Dun na lang sila sa Luneta hanggang sawa.

Replace tricycles with shuttle minivans with fixed schedules and routes. Not only do they charge Php 11.00 going in and 5.50 going out in my village, they also pollute, are noisy at para silang mga butiki kung umiikot. Nasanay na kasi ang mga tamad na Pinoy na door-to-door. If we have vans in my village, I am sure the fare could be reduced to Php 4 going in and Php 4 going out for the short distance.

Neutron bomb.

Joe, I think neutron bomb kills people and leaves structures intact hehe. Kung sabagay maraming mga Pinoy ang pasaway.

gather all pasaways, put them all in correigidor (ala escape from LA) and put them in exile there...

or better yet, once they're there, nuke 'em!

Presesamente!

To improve traffic, Bayani should hire hundreds of motorcycle cops. Time and time again I see erring motorists speeding away from hapless MMDA traffic enforcers. These should be young college graduates (many of them are unemployed di ba?). At saka kung bata wala pa asawa o segunda pamilya kaya di pa sanay magkurakot. They should be paid mga 20 thou per month. With a quota system and the large number of pasaway drivers, it is easy for these cops to issue tickets worth about 20 thou per day.

The fines are quite ok except for the 2 thou fine for "counterflow" (I find this term funny). Makikipagpatayan ang mga drivers sa ganitong kalaking fine. Siguro mga 800 pesos lang. Besides walang masyadong mga signs for motorists to see. I made a left turn somewhere in Malate into a one-way street going the other way and was issued a ticket. The only sign was a black and white arrow on the wall almost covered by posters, etc.

Gee,

Kung trapik ang pag-uusapan ang dapat unahin ay ang training ng mga traffic enforcers (snide remark: Do these guys, um, enforce traffic...?)

Sa akin lang, kung hindi mo mastered ang lahat ng traffic laws, rules and regulations natin wala kang karapatang mag-traffic enforcer. This is about credibility.

For instance, pa-approach ka sa Oritgas overpass along EDSA patungo kang Cubao. Maraming linya at mga arrow sa daan mismo, may nakapintura pa ngang mga destinasyon like Greenhills or Cubao sa mga lanes. Nasa Cubao lane ka at hindi ka pa nakakaakyat ng overpass, mga 10 meters pa from the foot of the overpass going straight to Cubao, bigla mong naalala na ipi-pick up mo na nga pala ang pinagawa mong PC sa Greenhills, bigla ka ngayong sumenyas pakaliwa para matunton mong Greenhills lane. Bago ka pa lang makaakyat sa pakaliwang overpass na patungong Greenhills hininto ka ng isang MMDA traffic enforcer at sinabi niyang ang violation mo ay "swerving". Tama ba ang sabi niya o hindi?

May isa akong kaibigang PNP na nasa TRAFCOM (the motorcycle-riding traffic cops) na nagsabing may violation ka nga sa instance na ganito, pero hindi swerving. Ang talagang violation mo "lane grabbing." Marami na palang beses, sabi ni TRAFCOM, na nasisita ang MMDA dahil hindi nila alam ang dapat na ilagay na violation sa isang hinuhuli nila. Bakit hindi swerving? Kasi ang swerving malalaman mo daw kapag ang isang vehicle tumama na sa mga "horseshoe' (those metal implements on the road with reflectors that divide lanes). Ang "lanegrabbing" naman happens when a vehicle switches lanes na merong solid lines dividing the lanes. A vehicle can only switch lanes when there are broken lines dividing the lanes, and with proper signals.

Ewan ko lang kung totoo nga 'yon. Can anyone verify this?

Magulo ang mga terms dito. Swerving (or more appropriately lane changing) can be legal or illegal. Weaving is another term in the States. Basta ang alam ko, sa mga approaches na ganyan, meron solid, unbroken lines that one is not supposed to cross.

Ilang beses ko na rin sinigawan ang mga MMDA traffic enforcers who allow left turns when there are huge signs saying otherwise. This is true at Araneta Ave. and Quezon Ave. and along Espana and Sta. Mesa. Ilan beses ko na rin binobobosenahan at minumura ang mga vehicles that block intersections. Hell driver ako sa pagmumura kaya yun tatlo kung kapatid na madre ayaw na sumakay sa akin.

ay sus sinabi nyo pa. ung intersection ng araneta avenue and q. avenue sobrang bwisit! may nakalagay ngang no left turn eh mga lintik nagsisilikuan pa rin, pano kasi sinanay ng mga engot na mmda traffic people (ayaw ko gamitin enforcer kasi d naman un ginagawa nila e). tapos after pa nun sa intersection pa ng araneta and e. rod may stoplight naman, ewan ko ba kung bakit pinagpipilitan ng mga ugok na mmda people na hindi sundin ung stoplight. laging ang tagal bago pinakakaliwa ung mga from araneta pa-left ng e. rod. kakaasar.

tapos may isang time naman mag-q-quote pa ng words of wisdom eh mali naman! sabi sa akin, "ignorance BY the law is not an excuse"

Gee,

Sa totoo lang, kapag mas maraming motorcyle cops (enforcers, or whatever), ginagawa lang na hagad ng mga lecheng paimportanteng buwaya sa gobyerno. And it is this subset of the population that is most blatant in ignoring existing traffic rules. The Public Utility drivers are only second best to these @$$h0!e$.

And ditto to joe. Those traffic enforcers seem to be under the impression that they are there to enforce the presence of traffic .

Improve and centralise public transport, decrease traffic and pollution, increase productivity and therefore improve economy.

I agree with you Radonc na mass transit ang kailangan. Kaya nga pagnagpupunta ako sa Rizal nag LRT lang ako. Meantime kailangan natin yun motorcycle cops para sa disiplina din. I don't know why Bayani does not see the gold mine in them.

Galit din ako sa mga escort-escort na yan. Kaya kung naririnig ko ang mga iyan, di ako gumigilid.

i agree that we need to decongest metro manila by having an efficient transport system both inside the city and from outside to inside.

but first i think the very important issue is to control the population.

With the doubling of gasoline and diesel prices this past year or so, I think it is about time we replaced the jeepneys with buses. Bus and jeepney operators are seeking increase in fares again. I don't see why bus operators couldn't charge half of what the jeepney operators do and still make a little profit. The problem is there are so many of them on certain routes such that their load factor is only 50%. For example, the Marikina-Cubao route could be serviced by buses which would charge about 50-75% of what jeepneys do. The people would obviously ride in the buses if the savings are big. Right now, bus fares are almost the same as jeepneys'. I think it is also about time that LGUs in partnership with NGOs got into this service to reduce traffic, pollution and pass on the savings to the riding public by way of lower fares.

Of course the light rail should still be the priority. But there are many routes out there that this could be implemented.

the improvement needs to start with the leaders. stop fuckin around!!!

From a simplistic standpoint, should we consider decongesting the metro and trying to develop other cities ? Our problems about traffic, garbage, and pollution tend to be related to a concentrated workforce in one area.

^^^ That's long-term. Maybe the ADB, WB etc. could finance what I am proposing. The jeepneys could relocate to the provinces to replace the tricycles.

I think it would be better to look for funding to ferry all the jeeps and trikes (with or without the drivers ) to an island paradise and nuke the place .

I agree. Can we do it now?

all cab drivers refusing fares should be shot.

but seriously, i propose that we change the names of all the streets back to their old names. para naman mas masaya magbasa ng mga libro ni nick joaquin.

I agree. But I'm afraid with the current status, do we have any sustainable quick fixes ? I think "sustainable" also presupposes the idea of "long-term".

I wish the jeepney operators would strike everyday. So the buses could replace the jeepneys without any problems.

Better Train systems perhaps.

That was the vision for the LRT system in the 70s and the MRT systems in the later decades. The LRT was supposed to rid Taft (along with the other thoroughfares it runs on) of the jeepney. The problem arose from lobby groups and eggless politicians unable to implement the true intention of putting up that train system.

Improving the North and South railway system seems to be the way to go to decongest Manila and get development of the outskirts of the Greater Manila Area going.

Sana may makaisip rin ng paraan kung paano pagagandahin yung ibang mga lugar sa Pilipinas. Lagi na lang Manila ang pinapansin porket dito nakatira yung mga may matataas na posisyon sa gobyerno.

have more mrt & lrt all over metro manila.

lessen u- turns.

have more overpass.

The MMDA charter should be amended and strengthened. The moronic mayors of MeroManila should concentrate on reducing crime (killings, robberies and hold-ups have been rampant lately) and leave traffic management to MMDA. The shooting was unfortunate but if Atienza did not allow those illegal structures on Quirino Avenue in the first place then the MMDA clearing operations wouldn't have been necessary. Maybe they are missing terribly the kotong money from traffic violators, vendors with illegal structures on sidewalks and even on the streets, etc.

Repeal the Lina Law (which prevents land owners from evicting squatters without a resettlement site), criminalize squatting and rehabilitate the PNR railway from Manila to Alabang. Tear down those 50-foot billboards all over Metro Manila. And please, no more malls!!

With the recent onslaught of court decisions against the MMDA, it would be interesting to monitor developments in the streets of Metro Manila. Whilst I have not read the decision (nor the full complaint), it seems that various sectors are using the decision to further their own vested interests. I guess the MMDA should be given enough teeth to enforce the laws. Their being able to make ordinances and enforce them, etc. should also be given some attention by both the executive and legislative. OK, now back to reality...

Educate!Educate!Educate!

medyo nag-tatantrums nga raw ang MMDA dahil sa desisyon ng korte. let's see how our LGUs could handle the traffic situation in their areas

I agree that they should stop making big malls and try to protect the interest of independent bussiness. It really doesn't make sense why the government should let those few elites dominate the Philippine market.

I'm not so sure about the Lina Law, its a bigger problem for the land owners. For example, a land owner who has been searching and hasn't been in the country for a while; suddenly founds out that people are already living in their land.

Ang hirap ata hanapan ng malilipatan iyong mga families, lalo na kung magpapabayad. Gastos rin iyon.

Again, Educate the masses. People need to stop, look, and listen to what they're protesting about. Majority ng mga tao hindi alam kung ano iyong mga issues and how they should be solved.