[sustran] Manila 'carless days'

Craig Townsend townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au
Wed Mar 29 05:28:30 JST 2000


>From the Philippine Star Online Edition, 28 March 2000

MMDA to hold hearings on 'carless days'

By Marvin Sy 

We're dead serious about it. 

This seems to be the stern stand of the Metro Manila Development Authority
(MMDA) on its plan for a "carless day" in Metro Manila, in spite of the
mounting protests from the motoring public. 

MMDA Chairman Jejomar Binay told reporters yesterday that public hearings
will be conducted to solicit the inputs of the public and used in the
plan's mechanism. 

He disclosed that the first hearing will be Wednesday next week (April 5).
Metro Manila mayors and private motorist groups have been invited to attend. 

"The MMDA will make the methodology, after experiments, before the
implementation of the program," said Binay. 

He added that a pilot-test of the carless day will be conducted in small
areas of the metropolis. "The University of the Philippines is already
practicing a carless day in its campus, so why can't we do it too?" he asked. 

The MMDA chief explained that the carless scheme is meant to address the
growing air pollution in Metro Manila attributed to smoke belching of motor
vehicles. 

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) previously noted
that around 90 percent of air pollution comes from motor vehicles, diesel
engines in particular. 

It was also learned that 70 percent of motor vehicles plying the roads are
privately owned. 

"Oppositors to this plan should not worry since we will not implement this
without conducting a dialogue with all concerned," Binay assured them. 

Binay likewise claimed that it is "baseless" for some of the programs'
critics to say that the carless scheme has not been adopted in other
countries. The plan has been proven effective in a number of European and
Latin American countries. 

"I know we will be met by negative reactions, especially from private
motorists. Nothing is final yet," he said. 

________________________________________________
Craig Townsend
Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy
Murdoch University
South Street, Murdoch
Perth, Western Australia 6150

tel: (61 8) 9360 6293
fax: (61 8) 9360 6421
email: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au



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