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3/4/2013
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act of God. The PLDT also blamed construction work on the Metro Rail Transit for the communication link glitches. Since work on the MRT will take a couple more months, all we can do is grit our teeth like President Erap. There's a bigger problem. The Smart system's contractor says the traffic lights will work efficiently if there are no blackouts. Deliverance from traffic? Dream on. Now you know why this system will never work in this country. What happens if there's another jellyfish invasion in the Lingayen Gulf? What happens during the monsoon season, when power plants are routinely knocked out? But isn't there such a thing as a standby power source, at least for traffic lights? If there is, we've never seen them in this country. *** Also, even if all these technological glitches are fixed, this high-tech system will still have to function hand in hand with traffic enforcers. And MMDA Chairman Jejomar Binay is the first to admit that traffic enforcers need special training for the Smart system. The MMDA's Traffic Operations Center has 7,600 people, including members of the Philippine National Police and local government personnel. Most of the cops know their business -- they direct traffic like a smart traffic light system. But the cops are currently needed for other jobs these days, such as catching terrorists. So we're left in the hands of traffic aides, whose idea of smooth traffic management they must have picked up from the Cartoon Network. To be fair, I have to admit that a smart traffic system also needs smart drivers who observe road courtesy, who know what a fast lane is, who understand what "no-loading zone" means (all these street signs should have Filipino translations). So far, the only sign Pinoy motorists heed is the one that marks a towaway zone. Still, there need not be anarchy in the streets if there are people managing traffic efficiently. Since we can't find such people, we have turned to technology. And now the technology is turning out to be a big disappointment. I wouldn't mind the traffic so much if I didn't know that this Smart traffic system is costing taxpayers P1.5 billion. The latest word yesterday was that the agencies involved would try to fix the glitches in the system. For P1.5 billion, this system had better start working. And soon. http://www.philstar.com/datedata/h16_jun16/edi5.htm -- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), June 16, 2000 Moderation questions? read the FAQ
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3/4/2013