chapter 1 & 2

Chapter I Introduction Background of the Study Traffic management schemes are introduced to solve a problem which has been identified in one or more roads. The need for a scheme can be identified in a variety of ways. It may for example be a bad accident record or the concerns of residents that prompts an investigation. Sometimes the Council adopts an "area wide" approach to traffic problems, for example where there is a demand from several residential roads for "Speed Control Humps". To deal with this priority is given to the worst problems first. There is no single solution to problems associated with traffic management. A variety of measures are used sometimes in combination. The last few decades have seen the advent of deregulation and competition in transportation worldwide. Increased pressure from consumers has ensured that a better service is available through competition and market forces in these areas. The case of road transport is however quite different. Indeed, government intervention is still regarded as necessary to secure investment in road infrastructure. In parallel, increased wealth and employment has seen the number of passenger cars increase phenomenally. O’Sullivan (1991) mentioned that traffic congestion appears when too many passenger cars attempt to take the same route at the same time. This has put increased pressure on the roads and the public transport system. The latter being in most cases under-funded and inefficient has resulted in a definite switch to passenger cars.

According to Pedroso (2013) that in the Philippines, the country has been losing billions of pesos due to traffic congestion over the years. In August last year, a study by the University of the Philippines National Center for Transportation Study (UP NCTS) placed the average annual losses incurred due to traffic congestion in Metro Manila at over P137 billion as of 2011. The study noted that the country has lost more than P1.5 trillion since 2001 due to traffic, which has led to loss of productivity. Earlier in 1999, studies by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) and the Department of Transportation and Communication placed annual losses due to traffic in Metro Manila at P140 billion. Furthermore, of this figure, P40 billion went to direct losses, such as wasted gasoline, lost labor hours, employment of traffic aides, and wasted electricity, while P100 billion went to indirect losses, like missed business opportunities and reduced capital inflow due to investors shying away from the country, among others. Bad driving habits, inadequate traffic enforcement, and poorly coordinated infrastructure projects are the main reasons for the traffic. Lirios (2003) stated in her papers that due to rapid urbanization and population growth, mobility problems arise. The economic development of Davao has brought rapid growth on the vehicle volume, resulting to traffic congestion during peak hours along major thoroughfares. This may hinder further development and economic growth in the city. Pedestrians are also one of reason for Davao’s traffic congestion because these people cross the street anytime they want to and do not even mind to look for pedestrian lanes for safer cross.

Increase in population, growing tourism industry, rising economy, increase in vehicular ownership, etc. contributed to the traffic congestion in Davao City. As most of us have observed that with the growing problem on traffic congestion in Davao City, the proponents of this study believe that suggestive intervention scheme through the proponents’ thorough study may hopefully contribute to alleviate if cannot be prevented the present traffic congestion in Davao City. Statement of the Problem The concern of this study is to determine the factors contributing traffic congestion in Davao City as basis for intervention scheme. Thus, it sought to answers on the following questions: 1. What is the level of satisfaction of the motorists with the present traffic congestion in Davao City in terms of: 1.1 PUJ routes; 1.2 Pedestrians crossing; and 1.3 Present traffic scheme plan of Davao City 2. What intervention scheme can be developed to mitigate the traffic congestion in Davao City in terms of? 2.1 Re-routing 2.2 Additional TMC personnel; and 2.3 Adjustment of traffic lights? 3. Based on the foregoing study, what intervention scheme can be proposed by the proponents of this study to lessen traffic congestion in Davao City?

4. Is there a significant difference with the level of satisfaction of the motorists and the traffic congestion in Davao City? Review of Related Literature Traffic management involves the allocation of infrastructure (road space or train slots on a railway network) according to strategic operational and policy goals. These include efficiency, safety, environmental, economic and equity objectives. In real terms, meeting them may encompass measures that include giving priority to buses, trams or other vehicles such as emergency services or high occupancy vehicles, increasing space available for pedestrians and cyclists, or providing shared road space. For rail, rules for market opening, network capacity allocation and pricing also constitute policylevel strategic management. Smith (2003) According to Andrew Winder and Mark Brackstone ( 2009) that traffic signals and railway signaling are perhaps the earliest form of ”intelligent” traffic management, aimed primarily at safety but also at managing priorities at junctions. The phasing and coordination of road traffic signals in urban areas via a control center is still the most widespread tool for the effective management of street networks. More recent applications of traffic signaling include dynamic lane allocation (for tidal flow, or reserved lanes for buses or other authorized vehicles) and ramp metering (signalized access control to motorways). Tugbobo (2009) cited that while the largest cities are the most congested, congestion occurs—and has grown—in cities of every size Congestion extends to more time of the day, more roads, affects more of the travel, and creates more extra travel time than in the past. It has become

more volatile as well in cities of developing world. Rising population, rapid economic growth and increasing employment without a corresponding growth in the supply of public transport, responsible largely for major urban traffic issues in most cities of developing economy. Moreover, rail traffic management, and particularly signaling, is as old as rail operations themselves. Rail traffic, due to its own physical characteristics, is based on a controlled flow density, as opposed to road traffic, which is based on free flow. Rail signal systems therefore do not only protect junctions but also ensure safe spacing between trains running on the same lines. Some of them, in addition to transmitting information about movement to authorities and speed limits from track to train, can also effect automatic braking if the train ignores certain limits through Automatic Train Protection (ATP). In stations and yards these functions are realized by interlocking systems which ensure that trains run safely across the many conflict points. According to Norquist (2011) that it is certainly true that people complain about congestion. Yet it is just as true that popular destinations tend to be crowded. Fifth Avenue in New York, Market Street in San Francisco, Chicago’s Michigan Avenue and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills are all congested, but people keep coming back to shop or hang out. More recently, the renewed Lisbon Strategy (CEC, 2005) highlighted the need to develop and improve economic and resource efficiency. This will enable a reduction in transport costs. Objectives of the Lisbon Strategy with relevance to traffic management include improved utilization of existing networks, tackling congestion and increasing accessibility, developing urban

transport opportunities, developing charging policies, increasing synergies between modes and improving logistics. According to (Trevor, 2006), the mid-term review of the 2001 White Paper on Transport, there is no reason in the long run why sophisticated communication, navigation and automation should be restricted to aircraft and not be available to land transport modes, in particular road transport. Trevor further cited that the review expects that new technologies will provide new services to citizens and allow improved real-time management of traffic movements and infrastructure capacity use, as well as the tracing and tracking of transport flows. In addition to providing benefits for transport operators and users, new systems can provide public administrations with rapid and detailed information on infrastructure maintenance and renovation needs. Traffic management applications can increase the efficiency of networks, reduce the need to build new infrastructure, enhance driving and travelling comfort and also help to increase safety and security, as well as tackling wasteful and socially harmful transport patterns in the interests of environmental and social sustainability. According to Regidor (2004) that transportation and traffic problems have hounded major cities around the world, necessitating the provision of various infrastructures and the implementation of an assortment of policies geared towards solving these problems. Various results have been experienced with certain policies failing to control traffic, and infrastructure unable to address the demand for facilities. In many cases, implementation is successful leading to the notion that such success can be replicated in other cases.

Doctrine (2013) cited that on-street parking and pedestrian activity along Manila roads – many cities such as Manila are guilty of not having any serious initiatives to address on-street parking. In many cases, its tolerated particularly in commercial areas as local governments don’t like to engage business in what they assume to be the small issue (or non-issue) of parking. In the case of pedestrians, it is a behavioral thing that requires a bit more effort than police or enforcer visibility (or the occasional apprehension). As a result, people will generally cross wherever they want and walk along the carriageway, not minding their safety. Of course, such behavior is encouraged by the absence of space for walking as vehicles, merchandise and other stuff occupy space that’s supposed to be for pedestrians. Although the amount lost to traffic congestion would depend on the activity or business that is being held up by bad traffic in Metro Manila, Mekaniko (2012) mentioned that a study published by the National Center for Transportation Studies (NCTS) revealed that traffic congestion in Metro Manila alone would amount to P137.5 billion just for 2011. Cumulatively, traffic congestion in Metro Manila for the last 11 years would already have cost a whopping P1.5 trillion. Likewise, additional losses from fuel are estimated to reach P4.2 billion. The study only covered traffic congestion losses of five occupations, particularly government officials, professionals, technicians, clerical workers, and service workers. The fact that it does not include variables from other economic activities, such as tourism, education, among others could actually increase the amount of losses.

The City of Davao (Filipino: Lungsod ng Dabaw) is the largest city in the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and the country's largest in terms of land area. It has the third most significant metropolitan centre in the country. It is also the center of trade, commerce, and industry in Mindanao. The vehicular traffic situation in Davao City has significantly improved, being listed 5th on a recent list of Southeast Asian cities with the best managed traffic flow, from a rank of 27th in the same survey held three years ago. This improvement is attributed to the continuing education of drivers and the strict implementation of traffic laws. There are, Regidor (2004) added, at least, 35,000 vehicles plying the routes of Davao City, plus 20% of the total number of vehicles coming from the rest of Region 11. Private automobiles that you will mostly see are sedans, pick-ups, vans, motorcycles and buses used for private purposes such as carpooling or servicing tourists. Public vehicles, however, comprise most of the city’s traffic, including jeeps, motorcycle taxis, taxicabs and tricycles in smaller roads. Public buses are also seen in the city’s streets, albeit sparingly, as they only ply out-of-town routes. According to National Statistics Office (NSO, 2010), the estimated population of the city is 1,449,296 in 2010. Metro Davao, with the city as its metropolitan center, has about 2,274,913 people in 2010, making it as the third most populous metropolitan agglomeration in the Philippines and the most populous and cleanest city in Mindanao. However, as the population is pushed up by rapid migration growth, its urban landscape is rapidly expanding with sprawl spreading in all directions inland.

Moreover, construction of more roads and bridges are also underway. The construction of the City’s third major road – the Buhangin underpass was completed in the 1st quarter of 2003. A Traffic Management and Computerization Scheme was also implemented. Davao City is ranked no. 5 among cities in Asia with better traffic flow based on vehicles per kilometer of city road. According to (Banzon, 2006) that there is a mark improvement in the flow of traffic in Davao City that ranked the city in 2006 as fifth among Asean cities with the best flow of traffic. According to Traffic Management Center head Celso Gempesaw in an interview after the Club 888 Forum at The Marco Polo Hotel he said that a group of companies operating in the Asean conducted the survey. Three years back a similar survey was conducted where Davao City ranked 27th on its flow of traffic among the Asean cities. Gempesaw however admitted that there are still traffic violations committed by some public utility drivers but the current flow of traffic is much better compared the last year. Fenequito (2014) cited that the vehicular traffic situation in Davao City has significantly improved, being listed 5th on a recent list of Southeast Asian cities with the best managed traffic flow, from a rank of 27th in the same survey held three years ago. This improvement is attributed to the continuing education of drivers and the strict implementation of traffic laws. There are, at least, 35,000 vehicles plying the routes of Davao City, plus 20% of the total number of vehicles coming from the rest of Region 11. Private automobiles that will mostly see are sedans, pick-ups, vans, motorcycles and buses used for private purposes such as carpooling or servicing tourists. Public vehicles,

however, comprise most of the city’s traffic, including jeeps, motorcycle taxis, taxicabs and tricycles in smaller roads. Public buses are also seen in the city’s streets. Davao City Traffic Management Center Traffic Management Center is under the supervision of the City Mayor. It conducts traffic direction and control for the safe and orderly movements of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. It coordinates all traffic management activities of the City with other related function agencies. It instills awareness among the public of their obedience to traffic rules and regulation and the importance of their road safety. And also it conducts research and studies to enhance more efficient and effective traffic management. Fenequito further added that the city has a total of 82 routes which are managed with a computerized traffic system, making Davao the only place in the Philippines with a traffic light installed at nearly each intersection. It is said that the presence of too many traffic lights tends to make vehicles move slower. However, there is no question about the fact that the system performs when it comes to organizing traffic flow. The city’s roads are also managed with a CCTV system that has proven its usefulness in terms of resolving cases involving vehicular accidents, traffic violations and even the movement of criminals. The volume of traffic in Davao is generally dependent on certain factors such as the day, the time of day and miscellaneous issues, including ongoing road widening projects, rerouting experiments, etc. On weekends and holidays, traffic is usually free-flowing, but on a regular weekday, the situation can get tight during the hours of 7-10 in the morning, and 4-8 in the afternoon towards the evening. This pattern includes the larger roads such as Quimpo

Boulevard, JP Laurel Avenue and Buhangin. However, for long-time Davao drivers, there are many shortcuts that could be taken. . Theoretical and Conceptual Framework This study was coined from Bartone et. al. (1994) that inadequate transportation system hampers economic activities and creates hindrances for development. In most of the developing countries, which are overburdened by huge population and extreme poverty, increasing economic activities and opportunities in the cities result in rapid increase in urban population and consequent need for transportation facilities. Authorities in these countries often fail to cope with the pressure of increasing population growth and economic activities in the cities, causing uncontrolled expansion of the cities, urban sprawl, traffic congestion and environmental degradation. The backbone of urban activities is the urban transportation network. The transportation network of an urban area is usually designed to accommodate the transportation activities of urban people. With growing population and diversified land use activities, transportation system needs to be updated or readjusted. Any lag between growing transportation demand and network capacity

results

in

traffic

congestion,

thereby

economic

loss

and

environmental degradation. Shown in Figure 1 is the conceptualized framework of this study. The framework represented in the input showed the problems concerning traffic congestion in Davao City enumerated as follows: PUJ routes; pedestrian crossings and the present traffic scheme plan. Also depicted in the output is the proposed intervention scheme proposed by the researchers.

Input

Output

p Traffic Scheme of Davao City

Intervention Scheme

• PUJ routes • Pedestrians crossing • Present traffic scheme plan

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study

Significance of the Study The findings of this research will be significant to the following entities: The City Government. The results of the study will help most specifically the Davao City Traffic Management Center and the city government of Davao in mitigating traffic congestions on all streets where traffic congestions can be experienced during peak hours of the working days. Public Utility Jeepney (PUJ) Drivers. With the results of the study, the PUJ drivers will become educated and observant to the traffic rules. Pedestrians. The findings of the study can be the best tool to determine the motivational needs for pedestrians. Researchers. The findings of the study can be a great source of reference for future researchers who have the same interest. Definition of Terms To provide a better understanding of the study, the following terms were given meaning through how it is used in the study. Traffic Management – a local government agency designated to oversee traffic related problems within Davao City only. Public Utility Vehicles- a public service vehicle, such as the bus system Pedestrian – term used for someone crossing the street.

Traffic congestion - is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Route - thoroughfare for transportation.

Chapter 2 METHOD This chapter deals with the methods used in the conduct of the study. This will be utilized to best attain the main focus of the study. This also discusses the research design, research subjects, research instruments, data gathering procedure and data analysis to be applied in analyzing the results of the study. Research Design This study employs the descriptive survey research design. As cited by Mark R. Leary (2010), it is designed to describe the characteristics or behaviors of a particular population in a systematic and accurate fashion. In this study, the design will be used to find out how The main focus of this study is to determine the traffic congestion in Davao City in order for the researchers to formulate traffic intervention scheme measures. Research Subject The respondents of this study were the motorists of Davao City. This allowed the researchers to sample the population with a desired degree of

accuracy. This gave the researchers an idea of how large the sample size needs to be to ensure a reasonable accuracy of results. The actual respondents of the study were one hundred eighty (180) motorists/drivers in Davao City.

Research Environment This study will be done along the busiest streets during peak hours of working and school days in Davao City. These streets include: San Pedro, C.M. Recto, McArthur Highway, J.P. Laurel and Mabini. Research Instrument The researchers will be using a self-administered survey questionnaire as an instrument to the research study to determine the traffic congestion in Davao City. There are two sets of questionnaires prepared by the researchers. One is designed to determine the driver’s familiarity of the traffic rules and regulations

and the other one was designed for the drivers’

perception with the traffic scheme. The researchers’ questionnaires were made for a 5-minute maximum time of answering the questionnaire since the drivers are driving the vehicle while being interviewed by the researchers. Data Gathering Procedure The researchers handed questionnaire to the drivers-respondents to fill-up and will be retrieved after it was done for tabulation purposes. For data tabulation, the researcher will be using Likert scaling technique. The researchers carefully reviewed and corrected the questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was determined by computing the average

mean ratings of the expert. The acquired mean for the instrument used in this study is 4 or always. Statistical Treatment of Data The data gathered for this research were tallied, tabulated analyzed and interpreted using the following statistical tools: Gathering of data was done with the use of a questionnaire which was checked and validated. There are two questionnaires for the PUJ drivers and has two parts. The first part was a checklist that will determine the drivers’ knowledge with traffic rules and regulations. The second part was a set of questions that measured the factors that affects the traffic condition within Davao City proper. This questionnaire was patterned from a Likert scaling technique but using the four–point scale or called as forced choice method since the middle option is not available. The respondents identified “1” as the lowest and “4” as the highest: 4–Always, 3–Often, 2–Sometimes, 1–Never. For interpretation purposes, the following scales were used: The Likert Scale was used to determine the level of learning motivation of students. Hall (2012) stated that Likert Scale is the best measures in determining the mode or the most frequent response. This is best done by putting tick on a box/blank in response to a large number of items concerning the study. It is common to treat the number obtained from a rating scale directly as measurements by calculating averages or more generally any arithmetic operations. The levels of satisfaction are ordered respective range of means and descriptions are as follows: Range of Means

Descriptive Equivalent

Description

with their

3.26 – 4.00

Always

If the level of satisfaction described in the item were manifested at all times.

2.51 – 3.25

Often

If the level of satisfaction described in the item were manifested in many but not the majority of the cases.

1.76 – 2.50

Sometimes

If the level of satisfaction described in the item was manifested in a few instances.

1.00 – 1.75

Never

If the level of satisfaction described in the item was not manifested at all.

Range of Means

Descriptive Equivalent

Description

3.26 – 4.00

Always

If the level of satisfaction described in the item were manifested at all times.

2.51 – 3.25

Often

If the level of satisfaction described in the item were manifested in many but not the majority of the cases.

1.76 – 2.50

Sometimes

If the level of satisfaction described in the item was manifested in a few instances.

1.00 – 1.75

Never

If the level of satisfaction described in the item was not manifested at all.

Mean. A percentage is a proportion between two quantities expressed in hundredths. It is often used to define a portion as a fraction of a whole. It's widely used in statistics, and finance to define probability, rate of return etc.

This was used to determine the result of the questionnaires given to the PUJ drivers. Percentage. is an arrangement of the values that one or more variables take in a sample. Each entry in the table contains the frequency or count of the occurrences of values within a particular group or interval, and in this way, the table summarizes the distribution of values in the sample. This statistics was utilized to find out the level vehicles with routes passing San Pedro, C.M. Recto, McArthur Highway, J.P. Laurel and Mabini streets.