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PASSENGER jeepneys and buses are still considered the
main reasons traffic is still prevalent in many parts of
the metropolis, especially on Edsa.
Reducing
the volume of these vehicles could significantly reduce
traffic that largely contributes to unnecessary waste of
fuel.
One good
example where the authorities can do this is on the
boundary of Santa Ana, Manila and Mandaluyong City.
Thousands of jeepneys congregate in those places,
turning them into huge parking lots 24 hours a day.
What
makes passing through this place problematic to
motorists is that those jeepneys park anywhere they
want. They clog up the whole place, that’s why it is a
total mess especially during rush hours.
Many
operations have been undertaken in the past to clean up
those areas, but those jeepneys always come back.
Isn’t it
time that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
took over the “cleanup” of the whole place? Many
motorists are asking.
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MAZDA’S
Nenuka Guba sent us a release regarding its newest car
in the market—the 2008 Mazda 3, which can be considered
a flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV).
This
means that it has specialized connections between the
engine and the fuel system, allowing it to use biofuel.
“The Mazda 3 is E20-capable, this means it can accept
gasoline mixed with up to 20-percent ethanol. Locally
available E10 fuel can cost around P2 less per liter,
which means one could save a little over P100 with every
top up of the Mazda 3’s 50-liter fuel tank.”
Local
oil companies are starting to comply with the mandate of
the Biofuels Act providing consumers with 10-percent
ethanol-blended E10 fuel in selected stations. All of
the major oil companies, as well as the local players,
are expected to follow suit since the Biofuels Act of
2006 mandates oil firms to sell and distribute only
E5-blend gasoline by February 2009 and a minimum of E10
by 2011.
“Mazda’s
premium line of vehicles consists of the Mazda 6, a
sports sedan meant to be driven; the MX-5 with Power
Retractable Hard Top, a sports coupe that lets the
driver feel as one with the car; and the crossover SUV
CX-9, which seats seven in total comfort. These cars are
all E10-capable, providing their owners the option to
switch to ethanol blends when available,” she added.
Here’s
an e-mail from a reader:
“Hi Mr.
Sevilla,
I am an
avid fan of your column, “Eyes on the Road.” But
something caught my eye in your July 14 article. You
wrote there that electric vehicles are better than
LPG-run vehicles. I would have to agree if it is a
hybrid vehicle similar to the Prius since it uses the
brakes to charge the battery. As for the e-jeepneys of
Makati, I think the LPG is better than those types of
vehicles that need to be recharged. Why is that so, you
might ask? Those (plying the Makati area) are plugged
into wall sockets and use the energy generated by our
power plants, which consume fossil fuels and coal, while
LPG is a byproduct of manufacturing those fossil fuels.
The power plants spew out more CO2 and whatever other
chemicals there are, while running a car on LPG is much
cleaner than running a power plant. Just my thoughts on
the matter. More power to you!” ---James
ON
Monday, this writer and Ron de los Reyes dropped by the
Honda Safety Driving Center (HSDC) in Sucat, Parańaque,
and saw Arnel Doria, general manager, closely watching
the eliminations among the center’s motorcycle
instructors. “We will pick our representatives to the
Honda motorcycle instructors’ and car-driver
instructors’ competition to be held in Japan,” he said.
The
instructors, considered experts of the trade, will
compete against other instructors from various Honda
Safety Driving Centers in the world who will congregate
in Japan for the annual competition. The motorcycle
instructors’ eliminations were held that afternoon while
the car drivers’ eliminations were held in the morning.
The
driving rain that fell late in the afternoon forced us
to move to the main building where a car, several
motorcycles and other safety paraphernalia are being
kept. Doria said a lift will be erected in the place.
There is already a small one for motorcycles. A number
of helmets were stacked into two high and open cabinets,
while other safety gear are kept in another open
cabinet.
“Since
those helmets used by the students are always wet
because of perspiration, we keep them in those open
cabinets overnight with a big blower beside them to let
them dry quickly,” Doria explained.
The
whole place is very clean and everything is in order, as
is the practice in all Honda Safety Driving Centers
around the world. All rooms for the use of car or
motorcycle driver-students are air-conditioned, which
make them more conducive for learning. “Safety must be
everybody’s concern and that is our No. 1 concern here,”
added Doria.
For
those who want to learn to drive a car or motorcycle,
the HSDC is an excellent place to do so. Choosing
between going to some questionable driving schools we
have around and the HSDC, I would not even blink an eye
to tell you that the latter is the best place to go.
Believe me…. |
