Make commuting in the Manila traffic suck less

Photo Courtesy: Global Nation Inquirer

Manila was once voted the worst city to drive on earth. According to Numbeo, the traffic situation in the capital of the Philippines is the 10^th worst in the world. Well, Manila’s rank in the list of world cities with the worst traffic actually improved because we were at fifth place in 2015. Until President Rodrigo Duterte supervised a superbody that will take care of the traffic crisis in Metro Manila, we are bound to rely on ourselves to beat the traffic.

Commuting to work if you have to go through the heavy traffic in the Philippines, regardless if you take the public transportation or if you have your own private vehicle. An average commuter spends more than an hour stuck in Manila traffic jams or about three hours commuting to and from work. The average speed of private vehicles on the road is reportedly less than 63.15 kilometres per hour. Is there really a heck of a way to beat traffic? Well, yes - with the right information and right attitude, you can work your way out of traffic on the road.

1. Leave early for work.

Seems like a no-brainer. If you want to avoid the horrendous traffic jam, leave early for work. This way, you can outsmart the traffic jams and you can have plenty of time to relax before you get on with your day at work. It shouldn’t be bad that you have to leave the house several hours early just to be able to beat the traffic, at least if you will take the EDSA route.

2. Use a mobile traffic and navigation app.

Plan around traffic. Use mobile traffic and navigation apps such as Waze, to find convenient route that avoid traffic jams. If there are no alternate routes since buses roaming EDSA are always full during rush hours of employees going home, think about what you can make better use of your time while stuck on the road. Fancy reading a book, listening to your favourite song? Just do whatever that interests you. You will be surprised to find out that there are lots of ways to make your commute a little more productive.

Another application that is particularly useful for Filipino commuters is the traffic navigator app developed by Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in partnership with online news portal InterAksyon. The MMDA InterAksyon app called TV5-MMDA Traffic Monitoring System provides real-time reports on the intersections in the Metro from the MMDA MetroBase. It updates every 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Take the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) or the .

If you want to beat the heavy city traffic, take the MRT or the Manila Light Rail Transit System (LRT). The good ‘ol train ride is still one of the best solutions if you want to get to and from work faster. Every day, millions of Filipinos take the MRT to get to or from work. Of course, you just need prepare yourself for long queues and a jam-packed train ride. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Even celebrities like Anne Curtis, James Reid, Coleen Garcia, Jodi Sta. Maria, and even Manny Pacquiao once rode the MRT to get to their destinations.

4. Ditch your commute and rent a place near your work.

If you don’t want to join the million of passengers whose destiny is to endure the undesirable mecca of going to and from work every day of their working lives on the platform of the Central Terminal Station or MRT stations, then rent a place closer to where you are working so you can ditch the commute or at least, cut the commute time.

If you work in Makati, Ortigas, or Bonifacio City, you don’t necessarily need to live in the heart of the city. There are actually good properties for rent that make living in the outer suburbs of the city easier.