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HOW many
more lives will be lost on that long stretch of
Commonwealth Avenue that has already earned the eerie
nickname “Death Highway”?
I had to
ask this one after learning of the number of deaths from
vehicular accidents along the said highway in
Quezon City.
And they all happened in a span of only one day, imagine
that? Yes, so many lives lost to accidents that could
have been avoided.
I said
they could have been avoided because I drive through the
place regularly and have personally witnessed how it has
become the “new racing grounds of notorious speedsters
onboard various vehicles.”
The most
dangerous are the buses whose drivers are basically the
“kings of the road.” When they are not racing against
one another, these buses virtually fly through the whole
stretch as if on a racetrack. Any vehicle that they come
across will certainly be bullied to give way either by
their loud horns or dangerous maneuvers.
My wife
and I were onboard our van one early night when a
speeding bus suddenly came alongside us, honking and
trying to make us move out of his way. Being one who
doesn’t mess with bus drivers, I eased up and let him
through. But we were surprised to see later on how he
dangerously overtook smaller vehicles while honking.
That Newman Goldliner bus’ plate number is TXF 203 and
its body number is 40209.
What
adds to the danger on that highway is the lack of proper
lighting. The whole area is a big, dark and messy place
at night. Only vehicles’ headlights illuminate the road
and, if you are unlucky, your vehicle could fall into a
hole that crops up every once in a while along the way.
Our
colleague Al Mendoza (who lives along the place) once
mentioned in his column that “pink fences and concrete
road barriers” litter the highway, and they are very,
very dangerous, especially at night.
But what
are the authorities doing about it? The absence of any
traffic enforcers in the area has given rise to the bold
and dangerous driving styles of many motorists,
especially bus drivers. It’s about time the authorities
unleash motorcycle cops on those “road maniacs.”
Aside
from traditional ways of enforcing the speed limit,
high-tech traffic cameras should also be installed along
the stretch of the highway. In Singapore, for example,
one will very seldom see many traffic enforcers on the
streets even during rush hours. They have been replaced
by cameras that can easily spot overspeeding vehicles
and instantly zoom in on their license plates. Traffic
citations are then sent within a few days to the
offenders complete with the photo, time and date of the
offense.
We hope
the authorities don’t sleep on this serious problem that
is Commonwealth Avenue. Countless lives have been wasted
and many more will be if they continue to ignore it…
****
HYBRIDS,
anyone?
It seems
that these cars are slowly but surely catching the
imagination of many people around the world, and many
are lining up to buy one. Yes, hybrid cars are really
expensive, but given the opportunity to own one
(especially when production goes up to such a level that
prices will drop) an ordinary car buyer certainly would
not mind getting one.
I
recently visited a web site where it was reported that
the increase in the number of US celebrities who now own
and drive hybrid cars and SUVs might be a “potential
influence in getting more people to think about ditching
their gas-guzzlers for a hybrid.” Some of those actors,
singers and other celebrities who have reportedly jumped
onto the hybrid bandwagon are Alexandra Paul, Alicia
Silverstone, Bill Maher, Billy Crystal, Billy Joel, Brad
Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Donny Osmond, Ewan McGregor,
Harrison Ford, Kirk Douglas, Kurt Russell, Leonardo
DiCaprio, Prince Charles, Robin Williams, Susan
Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell.
Cameron
Diaz was even quoted as saying: “It gets 52 miles per
gallon in the city. Isn’t that exciting?” Will Ferrell,
on the other hand, had this to say: “I absolutely love
our Prius. In addition to being obviously economical and
environmentally friendly, they drive great and are just
plain sexy. There’s no reason all Americans shouldn’t be
driving hybrid cars.”
****
I DON’T
know if the
Makati City
government knows about its crazy on-street parking
regulations that have been around for decades now.
These
days, two hours of parking in the commercial business
district will cost you P35. An extension of another hour
will cost you another P40. But there’s a condition that
if you don’t pay the P40-extension fee “your car will be
deemed as illegally parked and shall be towed away and
impounded.”
What is
worse is that your car is only given a maximum of three
hours in the slot where it is parked. “After the
allotted time, it shall be mandatory for the driver to
remove his/her car from the same slot...”
I have
seen and heard from so many poor owners of vehicles
(especially those whose cars were towed while they were
attending a business meeting) bewail the fact. With a
lack of private parking areas in the vicinities of the
Central Business District, the local government should
be caring enough about those who do business within its
locality by giving them low and very affordable parking
spaces. P35 for two hours of parking is definitely
stiff, while that extra fee of P40 for an extra hour is
simply exorbitant. Declaring a car “illegally parked”
and having it towed away if its owner fails to come back
on time is inhuman.
Imagine
the hassle one has to go through when he has to excuse
himself in the middle of an important business meeting
just to go back to his car to negotiate for more parking
time. Many of those designated pay-parking areas are
also “No Parking Areas” at 5 in the afternoon, meaning
cars or vehicles found in those areas will be towed away
and impounded at the end of the day. Whewww… |
