opinion,
Traffic congestion is a common problem for most people. When vehicles come across a narrow part of the road, everyone suddenly wants to get ahead first. When everyone starts trying to get ahead of the rest, it is only a matter of time before confusion will settle in among the drivers, causing a buildup of cars to form in the middle of the road. That is without mentioning the number of accidents waiting to happen.
Sad to say, this problem happens right outside the gates of our school.
Each day, parents drive their kids to school, stopping at A. Ma. Regidor Street to drop them off. While this is a kind effort for their kids, the traffic that forms afterwards causes surrounding vehicles to slow down, forcing them to carefully navigate the road as they try to get around the stopped vehicles as well as the crossing students. It also doesn’t help that an entire side of the road is filled with parked cars, especially in the morning, which further narrows the road.
There are some solutions to fix this traffic problem.
Actually using the entrance of the Grades 3-6 Building positioned on Africa Street may ease the traffic on A. Ma. Regidor Street. This will allow the parents of elementary students to drop their kids off while avoiding blocking the road. However, opening this entrance will make it harder for the guard to track down the children, especially if they leave the premises unsupervised, so opening the gate brings some risk for the children’s safety.
Another solution would be stricter enforcement of where the unloading and loading zone starts and ends. Parents should not stop in the middle of the street while sending their children off. A limitation of 20-30 seconds should be implemented, so as to prevent parents from overstaying in the middle of the road. This suggestion can also be applied to the current situation at the intersection of Quirino Avenue and A. Ma. Regidor Street, where a huge number of people get on and off vehicles at the same time.
A complete ban of parking by the entire road’s side can also help solve the traffic problem. It will widen the road space and allow more vehicles to pass. Not to mention, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), parking within six meters of any intersection is illegal, which just so happens to be near the spot where the traffic congestion occurs: both along Quirino Avenue and Africa Street. In addition to this, the school has also put up various “No Parking” signs along the sidewalk, coupled with supplementary signs specifying where people can park, load, and unload. However, these are ignored by the majority of the people who park along the road, such as some parents and guardians.
Traffic can easily be solved if people were considerate of others. If clearing the side of the road from parked cars and the dropping off of students are done properly, students and passersby will no longer be stuck in traffic and be late for classes. However, only time and discipline will tell, if it will truly come to that.//by Philip Jocano and Vea Dacumos
Opinion: A different kind of roadblock
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| Photo Credit: Ezra Bustamante |
Traffic congestion is a common problem for most people. When vehicles come across a narrow part of the road, everyone suddenly wants to get ahead first. When everyone starts trying to get ahead of the rest, it is only a matter of time before confusion will settle in among the drivers, causing a buildup of cars to form in the middle of the road. That is without mentioning the number of accidents waiting to happen.
Sad to say, this problem happens right outside the gates of our school.
Each day, parents drive their kids to school, stopping at A. Ma. Regidor Street to drop them off. While this is a kind effort for their kids, the traffic that forms afterwards causes surrounding vehicles to slow down, forcing them to carefully navigate the road as they try to get around the stopped vehicles as well as the crossing students. It also doesn’t help that an entire side of the road is filled with parked cars, especially in the morning, which further narrows the road.
There are some solutions to fix this traffic problem.
Actually using the entrance of the Grades 3-6 Building positioned on Africa Street may ease the traffic on A. Ma. Regidor Street. This will allow the parents of elementary students to drop their kids off while avoiding blocking the road. However, opening this entrance will make it harder for the guard to track down the children, especially if they leave the premises unsupervised, so opening the gate brings some risk for the children’s safety.
Another solution would be stricter enforcement of where the unloading and loading zone starts and ends. Parents should not stop in the middle of the street while sending their children off. A limitation of 20-30 seconds should be implemented, so as to prevent parents from overstaying in the middle of the road. This suggestion can also be applied to the current situation at the intersection of Quirino Avenue and A. Ma. Regidor Street, where a huge number of people get on and off vehicles at the same time.
A complete ban of parking by the entire road’s side can also help solve the traffic problem. It will widen the road space and allow more vehicles to pass. Not to mention, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), parking within six meters of any intersection is illegal, which just so happens to be near the spot where the traffic congestion occurs: both along Quirino Avenue and Africa Street. In addition to this, the school has also put up various “No Parking” signs along the sidewalk, coupled with supplementary signs specifying where people can park, load, and unload. However, these are ignored by the majority of the people who park along the road, such as some parents and guardians.
Traffic can easily be solved if people were considerate of others. If clearing the side of the road from parked cars and the dropping off of students are done properly, students and passersby will no longer be stuck in traffic and be late for classes. However, only time and discipline will tell, if it will truly come to that.//by Philip Jocano and Vea Dacumos
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