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APR
A Big Problem in the City (Problem
4 Solution Essay)
Erika Chrystel K. Kristensen
C35
TOPIC: Reduction of Traffic in the Philippines
THESIS STATEMENT: Traffic in Metro Manila can be
reduced by promoting Mass Transportation,
Carpooling to school/work, and by
constructing better and wider roads to
encourage the citizens to walk or bike.
I. Introduction A. Background and Information
B. Overcrowding of the roads in Metro Manila due to
traffic
C. Thesis Statement
II. Body A. Overcrowding of the roads in Metro Manila
due to traffic
1. Causes
a. Overpopulation
b. Narrow Roads
c. Disobedience of Drivers
2. Effects
a. Congested Roads
b. Pollution
c. Time Consumption
B. Solutions
1. Promotion of Mass Transportation
2. Promotion of Carpooling to School/Work
3. Construction of Better and Wider Roads to
Encourage the Citizens to Walk or Bike
C. Evalation of Solutions
III. Conclusion A. Summary
B. Recommendation

"A Big Problem in the City"

Traffic has become a nightmare in the

Philippines, specifically in Metro Manila. No one
of any age, race, nationality, social status, and
religion can escape the wrath of congested roads
due to the overpopulation of cars. It has been
recognized as one of the primary problems of the
country; and a very hard problem to solve at that.
With about sixteen million people living in Metro
Manila, traffic is undoubtedly inevitable. However
traffic can be reduced by promoting mass
transportation, carpooling to work, and
construction of better and wider roads to
encourage the citizens to walk or bike.

As citizens who are affected by this, it is a

right to pose the question as to what causes this
to happen. One of the causes as to why Metro
manila is jam packed on a daily basis is
overpopulation in the country. Metro Manila is the
central place where most people, especially
those from the province, go to in hopes of finding
a living to support their family in achieving a
comfortable life. Because everyone is going to
Metro Manila to find jobs, this causes the
increase of population in the already crowded
city. Overpopulation leads to traffic since most of
these people use vehicles to get to their
destination every day. Furthermore, the
mainstream use of narrow roads also contributes
to the problem. Skinny roads can be very hard to
fit hundreds of vehicles that pass it on a daily
basis. It can tighten the traffic since it can only
accommodate a certain amount of cars. Lastly,
the disobedience of drivers is also a cause of
traffic. Most drivers would only think about
themselves and what would benefit them instead
of thinking about the others. Cutting, taking over
cars and disobeying the road signs are only a
few of the many things that drivers do on the
road which brings inconvenience to the other
drivers that are affected by these actions which
can then lead to traffic.

The abnormality of the traffic all over

Metro Manila has brought about many effects in
the country. One of the effects of traffic that has
brought the attention of the people is the
congested roads. Obviously, traffic entails roads
to be overcrowded with vehicles and this can
bring many nuisances to everyone on the road.
Metro Manila might as well be compared to a
pack of sardines in a can. That is how tight and
crammed the streets are on a daily basis. This
effect can bring several psychological and health
effects on an individual. An individual who is
stuck on the road may experience headaches,
migraines, and dry cough in terms of health. In
fact, a 2012 study in the American Journal of
Preventive Medicine found that people who stay
longer driving in traffic tend to have the high
blood pressure and weight gain. Furthermore,
longer commuting entails a person to have done
less physical activity which can bring about other
health consequences aside from the mentioned.
According to the study of the World Bank
recently, “Commuting strain is associated with
feelings of nervousness and tension, physical
pain and stiffness, irritability and fatigue, and
poorer performance and satisfaction at work…”
have all been psychologically linked to traffic as it
intensifies these feelings. Moreover, pollution is
also an effect of the problem. Having many
vehicles on the road can bring about pollution to
the area. According to EarthTrends (2003), the
leading source of air pollution comes from
transportation vehicles as they produce 34% of
the carbon dioxide emissions in Metro Manila. As
stated by Nice and Bryant (2000), the
stoichiometric ratio of an average car that is
using gasoline is 14.7:1. This means that for
every pound of gasoline produced and released
from the vehicle, 14.7 pounds of air will be
burned. That is only for one car and we have yet
to consider the other thousands of vehicles being
used every day. We can just imagine how much
carbon dioxide is being emitted that will
eventually destroy our planet and the people
living in it. These pollutants are the primary
reason why Metro Manila has not met the federal
and state standards in terms of air quality. Lastly,
traffic can bring about inconvenience in time.
Being stuck in traffic is a very time consuming
experience. Instead of dedicating that time into
doing something more important, you are
prohibited to do so because you are stuck on the
road. People usually fall behind their schedules
because of this one and it is a problem because
time is precious and cannot be taken back.

There are three solutions which should be

practiced in Metro Manila as it is feasible and
accessible for every one of all ages. The use of
Mass Transportation should be encouraged by
the government. This includes the use of trains,
buses, and FX taxis. This proposal will be very
effective in the reduction of traffic as these mass
vehicles can accommodate a lot of people in just
one sitting. Unlike using cars individually in going
to desired destinations, the use of mass
transportation can carry a lot more people. For
example, a bus can approximately carry at least
50 people. Imagine if this is not practiced, then
those 50 people will be equivalent to 50 different
cars on the road which will definitely add to the
traffic. However, mass transportation effectively
does the opposite of that. Another solution is the
use of carpools going to school/work. In Metro
Manila, it is common for all Universities to not
offer school buses to pick students up and drop
them off from school and at home which forces
them to use their personal/family cars to get to
and from school hence the reason why the roads
surrounding these Universities are always tight
on a weekday. This unfortunate situation is also
being done by professionals in their career
although many of them practice the use of mass
transportation to get to their destination for work.
This should not be the case all the time because
Mass Transportation are filled with passengers
frequently so it is going to be harder to commute
that is why this solution of using carpools should
be implemented in the country – to also help
alleviate the loaded mass transportation. Lastly,
construction of better and wider roads to
encourage the citizens to walk or bike should be
done. One example of this would be Bonifacio
Global City Taguig, or commonly known as The
Fort. When one goes there, he will observe that
everyone is just walking because the roads are
so beautifully done that the people do not feel
like using their vehicles in order to get the full
experience of the scenery. Also, the area in
general promotes walking because greenery like
tress, bushes, and grass are abundant. Fresh air
is evident and the place is stunning hence the
reason why people would like to walk instead.
Furthermore, the government should focus their
spending on widening roads to accommodate
more cars and lessen traffic. Bigger roads can
carry more vehicles and has more space
efficiency for the vehicles to freely drive around
as compared to narrow ones thus lessening the
congestion that everyone complains about.

Traffic has become a prevalent problem in

the Metro Manila. However, people do not
somehow realize the grievance of this issue that
can bring about many other inconveniences and
problems in the future. If the proposed solutions
mentioned are implemented by the government
then it is guaranteed that the problem will be
lessened. Although it is the government's
responsibility to help reduce the problem, we as
citizens should help as well because it is we who
created the problem in the first place thus it is we
who have the power to solve it as well. Without
the cooperation, discipline, and initiation that are
needed for this ideal to happen, then the wish of
millions of Filipinos living in Metro Manila for the
traffic congestion to die down will never be
granted.

Sources:

Mudditt, J. (2011, August 12). Re: Dhaka’s traffic

jams are a recipe for mental breakdown – with
traffic jam slideshow. Retrieved from Jessica
Mudditt’s Blog – Stories from around the
world, http://jessicamudditt.com/tag/psychological
-impact-of-traffic-congestion/

Landau, E. (2012). Can you believe this traffic?

Health consequences of a long commute.
Retrieved from March 25, 2014, from CNN
website, http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/19/health
/driving-traffic-commute-consequences/

Nice, K. & Bryant, C.W. "How Catalytic

Converters Work" 08 November 2000.
HowStuffWorks.com.
<http://auto.howstuffworks.com/catalytic-
converter.htm> 24 March 2014.

Written By:

Erika Chrystel K. Kristensen

Posted 4th April 2014 by Erika Kristensen

1 View comments

vo2mac March 11, 2017 at 5:19 AM

Thanks
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