We Need to be Herded to Follow the Simplest of Rules

Island separator built on the roads in metro manila is a classic example of how unconventional it is to break the long time tradition of Filipinos being so hard headed. I am not perfect but life’s experiences have shown enough to prove that majority of Filipino lacks the will power to follow simple rules.

As I have mentioned, Island separator is an example of how necessary it is for other people to make most of us follow simple rules. Before there was metal fence which I saw along some portion of EDSA and Coastal road to prevent pedestrians from crossing the high way and to lead them to the proper crossing area. How shameful. Most of us are highly educated but it has been part of a culture - we love to play dumb.

Whoever the THINK TANKs of MMDA are, I congratulate them to finally come up with the idea or even have the heart to imitate that of most developed countries. I know that a lot of drivers are not very happy about it especially those in the public transport. They say it adds to the traffic jam. Is it really? All I know is they themselves are creating the traffic jam by stopping at inappropriate points to pick up commuters.

Commuters on the other hand play a great role for the most of the shamble on the road by pretending not knowing how to read the signs “LOADING AND UNLOADING AREA”. Kung papara ka ng bus sa hindi tamang lugar, malaking pagsubok ito sa mga driver at karamihan ay handa silang lalabag sa batas dahil sa habol nila ay kumita nga malaki.
This is a cycle and both the commuters and the drivers are wrong.

I’ve been doing some traveling lately and was impressed how complicated are driving rules in Western Europe but drivers are very religious in following them. I would say they are not perfect but they have great regard for other road users. Although pedestrians are given big priority on the road, pedestrians know how to use the road properly without giving inconvenience to the motorists. As an example, the driving guidelines in United Kingdom says the highway code is there to know your legal rights as a driver but teaches drivers to always give way. Aha, that’s what they call defensive driving. In Germany, the roads have complicated road markings (for me) but people follow them pedestrians and drivers alike.

I was observing the traffic around the arch de triumph in Paris. The road circling the arch is wide enough for eight lanes, there are no markings at all but it seemed that drivers are following imaginary lines. As we drive along a Welsh secondary road as most in the UK, the road is separated by paint road markers; most portions say no overtaking with a 30 miles/hr speed limit. What everyone does is follow the car in front. Minsan nakakainis kasi mabagal ang nasa unahan but what can you do that is what the rule says.

If you have access to Google earth you can zoom in to see how roads are separated in different countries in the world. What would you think drivers do in the Philippines when they see EDSA or C5 separated by paint marking? I even rode on taxis and several jeepneys along NAIA road able to use 3 lanes moving in zigzag way. I was told in S Korea most highway don’t allow change of lanes. How true and how bad? What if The MMDA will introduce a BUS LANE?

I think Filipinos still need to be “herded” in order to follow the simplest of traffic rules.