MOST of my life as a student — from primary school to college — was at the Loyola Heights campus of the Ateneo de Manila University. As an urban and transport planner, I’m saddened by the worsening mobility environment within Ateneo — for students, faculty, administrative staff and visitors. Because of the sheer volume of private motor vehicles entering every day, traffic within the campus has become notorious. Many avoid visiting (or even enrolling at) Ateneo because the traffic getting there is not only atrocious, it gets worse once you are inside.
After entering the campus in a car, it can take up to 30 minutes just to reach the drop-off point and maybe another 30 minutes to exit the campus. If a parent is driving, this usually means over an hour is consumed (just within the campus) bringing the child to school and another hour to pick him or her up at the end of the day. For this reason, some arrange to have their car and driver stay on campus all day, which of course adds to the traffic and parking congestion. This is not a problem that will be solved by expanding campus roads or by adding parking spaces.
Because the student population is growing, the number of cars entering the campus is likewise doing so. The problem is not only the time wasted and the burning of precious fuel. With thousands of cars inching through campus roads, students are exposed daily to a serious health hazard — polluted air in classrooms, at outdoor playing fields, as well as inside their cars. It is not only tailpipe emissions but also the microplastics from tires and brake pads that get into the lungs of our children. Unless decisive action is taken, Ateneo’s traffic and pollution situation will only get worse.
At the moment, each student is allowed to travel inside the Ateneo campus in their own motor vehicle; sometimes an additional one with security personnel accompanies them. As more people use their own cars, nearly all the road space inside the campus is consumed, resulting in gridlock. This is a classic tragedy of the commons. It is within the power of Ateneo authorities to prevent this and their responsibility to do so.
The logical solutions revolve around shifting to space-efficient, higher-capacity modes of travel. When road space is limited, the private car carrying only one or two students is the least efficient and most environmentally damaging. There should be a rule that no student can enter the campus except by walking, biking or using school-authorized shared transport. Shared transport could mean a school bus, shuttle or a private van that can carry at least eight students. The only exception would be for students with disability who require their own vehicle.
To encourage walking and cycling, Ateneo should expand its network of internal footpaths and bicycle lanes, ensuring that these are shaded, with smooth pavements free of obstructions and protected from encroachment by motor vehicles. There should be end-of-trip facilities in every major building on campus, with secure bicycle parking and — where possible — lockers and showers for those who might need to freshen up.
Because Ateneo has detailed information on where each student resides, it is possible to organize vans, shuttles and buses so that each shared transport vehicle travels only from one or two neighboring barangays (fetching students at common pick-up points) and then goes directly to Ateneo. This ensures that the journey to and from school in shared transport is as efficient and direct as being in a private motor vehicle.
It will be important to give all stakeholders sufficient notice so that each family can adjust. Families of Ateneo students in each barangay or subdivision will be encouraged to meet and consult each other in order to find the optimal combination of shared transport options to suit their requirements. Lining up new bus, shuttle and van services to match the expected demand will take time. Families with vans can offer the use of their vehicles for their neighborhood. The entire process, from conceptualization, consultation to operationalization, may require at least two years, but it will surely be worthwhile.
The immediate impact will be to significantly reduce the number of motor vehicles entering Ateneo, thereby eliminating vehicle congestion within the campus. In doing so, the biggest gain will be in everyone’s personal time. Imagine each student having an extra hour daily for sleep, study, physical activity, socializing, personal care and time with family and loved ones, instead of being stuck in traffic. The value of one extra hour each day over the many years of schooling will be immense. And then there are the health benefits of breathing cleaner air for all the years spent in school.
Finally, there is the impact that this will have on those outside Ateneo — the many communities in Quezon City, Marikina City and Pasig City. Thousands of private cars entering and exiting the campus every day create a massive bottleneck that profoundly affects the mobility of those traveling through, or living around, the Katipunan/C5 corridor. Reducing road congestion along this stretch will enable many thousands to get to their destinations sooner and at less cost. It will also improve air quality and reduce the level of carbon emissions.
A university espousing “men and women for others” should have no hesitation to implement this mobility- and health-enhancing approach. It will make Ateneo a model of sustainable mobility, worthy of emulation by other schools.
Robert Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner, and public transport advocate.