WHAT has happened to Manila?

It’s a question that I’ve been hearing for the past several weeks, and the reason I went around one day to see for myself.

To my surprise, most busy streets of Manila are now undergoing massive road constructions. There’s nothing wrong with developing new road systems in order to bring about development and mobilization in a city like Manila, but simultaneous road constructions that drag on for several weeks and months, resulting in agony for motorists and the riding public?      

And it seems the authorities are not keen on finishing them, either, leaving poor road users at the mercy of heavy traffic.

One good example is the road construction along Vito Cruz across Rizal Coliseum that has been going on for several months now. I could still remember it was sometime in March when we came to a standstill there for almost an hour.  It’s already September and the area is still a mess.

****

IT seems that there is no solution in sight to the problem of traffic, which is made much worse when motorists pour into the streets during rush hours at the same time. Add to that the sudden downpour that happens almost every afternoon, and it’s sheer bedlam.

The best advice I can give is to let the rush hours pass and allow heavy traffic to subside before going out on the street.

If you can leave your office before four in the afternoon, you can take advantage of the light traffic. The same is true when you leave for work in the morning. When you leave the house at six, driving to work is a breeze.

When I had an eight-to-five job, I used to join millions of commuters who rushed out of office as soon as the five o’clock bell rang and hurried to catch any available means of mass transportation. I always reached the house at nine or even later because of heavy traffic.

Have your vehicle checked regularly. I’ve seen many motorists, especially those who work in an office, in the middle of the street in their neckties, cursing at their conked-out radiators because they forgot to fill it with water. A car that is well-maintained is unlikely to stall in heavy traffic.

Knowing the road you drive on every day is a good rule every motorist should follow. Since it rains every now and then, knowing other routes to avoid flooded streets will give you an advantage and is a sure way to get home early.

****

THE Honda Safety Driving Center (HSDC) in Bicutan, headed by its general manager Ariel Doria, came out with a free safety-riding seminar for motorbike users that started on Tuesday.

There will be three more Tuesdays—September 16, 22 and 29—in which anyone can join for free, regardless of the motorcycle brand they are using. The hourlong seminar will be held at the HSDC Training Room on Km. 17 East Service Road, South Luzon Expressway, Bicutan (telephone: 838-0814 and mobile: 0928-5555695).

Seats are limited to 50 riders per run while special prizes await active participants during the seminar.

“Advanced reservation is recommended due to limited slots. The seminar will be handled by highly trained HSDC instructors and aided by the newly acquired computerized motorcycle-rider trainer,” Doria said.

****

THROWING away those used car batteries? Think again.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Department of Motolite is responsible for informing the public on the harmful effects of improper battery disposal and aims to recover used lead acid batteries (ULABs) for proper recycling and waste management.             

Studies have shown that at the end of their useful life, only 80 percent of lead acid batteries reach a proper recycling center while the remaining 20 percent remain unaccounted for.  This 20 percent roughly translates to over 600,000 discarded batteries per year or over 5,000 metric tons of lead, and just under 4 million liters of sulfuric acid that make their way to our waters and soils, contaminating these valuable resources. 

Motolite’s Balik-Baterya program leads the battle against the dangers of these polluting ULABs with an expanded collection scheme that brings used batteries to the country’s only licensed battery recycler, Philippine Recyclers Inc. (PRI), for proper recycling and waste disposal. Located in Marilao, Bulacan, PRI is the only Department of Environment and Natural Resources-certified battery-recycling facility with an internationally accepted and ISO14001-certified environmental waste management system. Call 415-1621 or e-mail akptapang@motolite.com for more information.

WE all saw it at the recent Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), and it seemed like a very exciting new product for Ford Group Philippines. And since it was simply presented at the PIMS, nobody actually got to drive the new Ford Escape at all.

DURING the recent General Motors Thailand Environment and Energy Automotive Technology Symposium or GM Autotec held in Bangkok’s Impact Muang Thong Thani, journalists from all over ASEAN were allowed a glimpse into GM’s vision of the future.

Eyes on the Road: Manila’s road-construction mess

WHAT has happened to Manila?

It’s a question that I’ve been hearing for the past several weeks, and the reason I went around one day to see for myself.

WHAT’S this I hear about a vehicle battery that failed government tests for safety reasons and standard requirements months ago, but, alas, was still being sold for more than 20 weeks before authorities delivered the final mortal blow only last month, if not this month (September 5)?

(Conclusion)

What was the transition like from motorcycles to four-wheelers?

Racing in cars took me a while, after shifting from motorcycles. At the beginning [when I shifted to four-wheeled rally raid], it was a struggle. My years with Nissan, I didn’t have a very good car and we were a small team.