Manila leads ‘worst traffic’ tally

Metro Manila leads the worst traffic index according to TomTom, a Dutch multinational developer and creator of location technology and consumer electronics.

According to the TomTom Traffic Index, the traffic in Manila makes for an average travel time of 25 minutes to 30 seconds. TomTom also pointed out that motorists and commuters lose 117 hours annually during rush hours. 

Following Manila in the TomTom Traffic Index is Bengaluru in India and Sapporo in Japan. 

Following the score, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) commented on it.

For MMDA, the agency is seeking clarifications as to why Metro Manila ended up at the top of the list with the worst traffic among 387 metro areas in the world. 

MMDA Acting Chairman Attorney Romando Artes even said that the agency will reach out to those behind the 2023 TomTom Traffic Index to ask them of the methodologies used in the conduct of the study.

“We want to know the methodology employed. If there is an actual count and when did they conduct the study,” Artes commented. 

“Per our data, it is still EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) as Metro Manila’s busiest road based on our regularly conducted actual count. With this alone, we can see that there is a difference between our data and TomTom’s… Quezon Avenue is only the third busiest road per our data,” he added. 

The Transport bureau, on the other hand, said in a statement that its “ongoing road transport infrastructure projects are directed at improving commuter experience while addressing worsening traffic in highly urbanized areas,” and that it will “fast track road projects while collaborating with appropriate agencies with the help of the private sector.” 

For DOTr, Metro Manila’s supposed lead in the most traffic metro list poses a challenge not just for the agency but also for other concerned departments in the Philippine government since they need to be creative in finding lasting solutions to metro traffic.

Photos from Ruben Manahan IV 

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