Mass Transit

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw this photo from the Seattle P-I about the new South Lake Union Trolley (I hear the hipsters in Seattle are calling it the SLUT). To have such a thing in Seattle, our glorious city of much bickering and little construction when it comes to a transit system, is fantastic. In fact, I'm usually pretty excited about mass transit in general. One of my favorite things about going to different cities is riding their subway/light rail/trolley to check out the area. I've already instructed my parents to not meet me at the airport upon my return in 2009, because I want to glide triumphantly into downtown Seattle on the light rail. Indeed, it's quite possible that my future career will involve work on mass transit in Seattle in some capacity.

While there is a light rail system in Manila, the rest of land transportation in the Philippines is on wheels (as you have seen, and will continue to see, with my ongoing "Rules of the Road" series). However, I have a whiz-bang idea to connect the cities and towns of Negros Oriental: light rail. (Note: you may substitute subway or monorail for light rail throughout this post, the main idea is a linear mass transit system with a dedicated right-of-way). In many ways, it would be the transportation planner's dream, in that almost the entire population is spread out linearly along the coast. Many of the problems that plague transit planners in the Western US – a lack of interest in riding public transportation, reluctance to get out of personal cars, widely spread origins and destinations (a result of strip-mall sprawl), debates over the best route, and steep grade changes, to name a few - are non-existent here. Almost everybody lives along the one coastal road that connects all the towns. Those who live on spurs off the main road still must use the main coastal road for almost all commerce or transportation. Destinations off the main road are typically easily reachable by taking a trike, motorcycle, or walking - the system that currently exists. Almost all vehicles using the road are traveling only on the road, in one direction or the other. With the implementation of a light rail, the only vehicle traffic necessary would be industrial traffic, which would have its own dedicated corridor. Bicycles, etc., could have their own path (this could also be shared with motorcycles). If all buses, easy-rides, jeepneys, tricycles, and private vehicles were replaced by the light rail, I would estimate that traffic would drop by 70%, and the travel time between one destination and the next would drop dramatically. Stops could be made in every barangay, with tricycle and motorcycle drivers congregating at stations to carry passengers to their final destination. Emissions and vehicle-related pollution would also drop (many of the vehicles here release noxious clouds of smoke wherever they go, looking something like Pigpen from Peanuts). A light rail system here would be heavily used, out of both necessity and convenience. It would certainly be a boon for the burgeoning tourism industry here, and would increase the flow of goods because heavy industrial trucks barreling down the highway wouldn’t have to suddenly slow to a crawl behind a 13-year old boy riding a bicycle carrying two pigs in the sidecar.

The downsides? A lot of people involved in the current transportation industry could lose their jobs (although I would advocate for them to be involved in the operation of the new light rail system). Right-of-way could be hard to come by because businesses and houses already tightly line the national highway, so the subway option might be the most feasible in order to eliminate a lot of land conflicts. And, an issue that Washingtonians will be familiar with is, of course, the cost. But all things considered, this has got to be one of the most useful places in the world for a light rail. So what do you say, Mr. Governor?

And Mom and Dad: I’ll see you downtown in August ’09. I think I’ll get off at the Westlake stop.