WITH the mounting fuel crisis and the threat that supply lines may be cut, the imperative is to reduce our consumption of fuel and to conserve what we have in stock. In the transport sector, measures that will motivate or induce a shift toward energy-conserving modes (public transport, walking and cycling) should be immediately adopted. It will be good policy and practice not only during the current emergency but also for the longer term.
For relatively short trips, Filipinos should be encouraged to walk or bike — modes of travel that are health-inducing, requiring no fossil fuel and generating no emissions or noise. In the 2027 national budget, a much larger share should be spent on infrastructure that will attract Filipinos to walk or cycle. Funding can come from significantly reducing spending for projects that serve mainly private motor vehicles, inducing greater car use. The target should be to deliver safe and spacious sidewalks, accessible for all and as much as possible shaded with tree cover. The spending on active transport should also create networks of protected bike lanes so that bicycle users can travel in comfort and safety. The good news is that active transport infrastructure is low-cost, high-impact, faster to deliver and easier to monitor and protect against corruption.
Over many decades, by prioritizing nearly all road space for private motor vehicles, we have created inefficient and unattractive urban environments and promoted a culture of car dependency. When we eliminate safe and convenient options for walking, cycling and public transport, Filipinos are compelled to use cars and motorcycles instead. This destructive trend should now be reversed by transforming existing mixed traffic lanes into dedicated lanes for public transport, accessible sidewalks and protected bike lanes.
We should now modify the distribution of road space throughout the Philippines to favor more energy-efficient and sustainable transport modes. Walking, cycling and public transport can move five to 20 times more people using the same road space compared to cars. “Road diets” — reducing road space for motor vehicles — have been successfully applied in cities around the world including London, Paris and New York.
To encourage Filipinos to try energy-conserving travel modes in a low-pollution environment, “car-free” days can be announced — one day every week. Some roads can even be designated as permanently “car-free,” or only for public transport, walking and cycling. In many other countries, properties on such roads have become the highest-value real estate.
The demand for using private motor vehicles can be reduced by making their use more costly. Parking policy is a powerful tool. Free or low-cost car parking in urban areas is a magnet for motor vehicle use in already congested city streets — increasing traffic, worsening air and noise pollution, adding to emissions and raising local temperatures. In a country where only six percent of households own cars, free or low-cost car parking is akin to providing a huge subsidy for the most affluent.
We should begin by removing illegal parking. We should eliminate parking spaces that have been unlawfully created from spaces for sidewalks. This building violation is found in many of our cities but has been ignored and tolerated for decades. By restoring sidewalks and removing illegal parking spaces, we encourage walking and discourage motor vehicle use, creating a virtuous cycle. It is also time to introduce regulations that require car owners to have proof of access to a private parking space before their vehicle can be registered. No motor vehicle owner should expect to park every day and night on a public road.
Minimum parking space requirements, embedded in the implementing rules of the National Building Code, should be removed with urgency. In parallel, a levy on private non-residential car parking spaces should be introduced, with revenues earmarked for improving public transport and active transport. Property owners and developers should have the discretion to decide how much car parking is needed on their properties, appropriate for their particular circumstances.
There are several compelling reasons for a parking levy: first is increasing the cost of parking discourages use of private motor vehicles. Second, it is one way for society to be compensated for the negative impacts associated with the availability of private nonresidential parking spaces. Free or low-cost nonresidential parking attracts greater car use and is a magnet for traffic. A parking levy is relatively easy to collect and revenues generated can be earmarked to finance improved public transportation and better infrastructure for walking and cycling, making our cities more livable and sustainable.
The proposed revenue collection method is straightforward. Property owners would be required to declare the number of nonresidential parking spaces being maintained. The levy could then be collected by the LGU in the same way it collects real property taxes. The revenues can be shared by national and local governments: for example, one-third each could go to the national government, provincial governments and other local governments including barangay (villages).
A parking levy is also a “progressive” tax — it is imposed on the most affluent (owners and developers of urban real estate). If passed on to actual users of car parking spaces through higher parking charges, those with cars comprise the wealthiest six percent of Filipinos. If a parking levy discourages private car use, it will reduce our fuel-consumption significantly; it will also mean less traffic and pollution.
The additional revenues, if earmarked for public transport and active transport, will give local governments the confidence and fresh resources to assume greater responsibility for transportation and mobility outcomes. For the national government, new revenues are needed to cover the likely subsidy for “big ticket” mass transit projects such as the Metro Manila Subway plus the continuing subsidy for MRT-3 and LRT-2.
We can turn our current energy emergency into an opportunity to launch major reforms that will correct many decades of bad policy. The time for crisis measures is now.
Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner and public transport advocate. He is a co-convenor of the Move As One Coalition. He can be reached at mobilitymatters.ph@yahoo.com or followed on Twitter @RobertRsiy.
