CASE STUDY

Perception of Current and Future Private
Vehicle Owners to Road Congestion
Organizational Communication 109.1
NICDAO, Gian Paolo G.

PERCEPTION OF CURRENT AND FUTURE PRIVATE VEHICLE OWNERS TO ROAD
CONGESTION

INTRODUCTION

Living 25 minutes away from school is a privilege. You find yourself thinking that you’ll make it to

school, despite waking up an hour before your first class. You take your time in the shower, you even cook your own breakfast. You then walk to the jeepney terminal and looming over the horizon, you are greeted by a bridge filled with myriad of vehicles, each of them slowly crawling to get to the other side.
That, and the sounds of horns blaring and the voice in your head swearing and saying you can’t make it. This is what mornings are like in Manila.

It may be a fact not evident to some, but the intensity of Metro Manila traffic now has never been

experienced in years. There are different factors that lead to road congestion, specifically infrastructure, law enforcement, among others. The increasing number of motor vehicles (MVs) such as cars, UVs,
SUVs, trucks, buses, contribute to this road congestion. According to the Land Transportation Office
(LTO), in 2013 alone, 1,356, 217 new privately owned cars registered, adding to 5, 317, 598 already existing private ones. These numbers show that private vehicles compose the bulk of MVs on the road.

This case study aims to provide insight as to what the current and future private vehicle owners

perceive when it comes to road congestion. By identifying their perception for this problem, conceptualizing, formulating, and enacting short-term and long-term solutions can be more logical as there would be basis whether their action plans would actually help alleviate the situation. These perceptions can then be compared to an older age group, who are more involved with this problem.

Given the wide scope of the term public, this study focused on the perception of individuals

aged 16-25. The rationale behind this is that they would be ever more so involved with this problem in three to five years in numerous ways, ranging from realistic reasons such as they would be buying their own private vehicles soon to more idealistic reasons such as these people may be the ones serving the country through passing laws and directives in the near future. The case study also focused on the motivation of these individuals as to why private vehicles are bought/being bought and its role in road congestion. PERCEPTION OF CURRENT AND FUTURE PRIVATE VEHICLE OWNERS TO ROAD
CONGESTION

METHODOLOGY
Research

News articles, published blogs, crowdsourcing platforms, and annual reports mentioned in this case study

were collected via the Internet. Web-based research can be done anytime and anywhere, and guarantees fast results. Looking for valid and relevant content is another story, but for this case study, rest assured that all data collected from the Internet is legitimate.

Survey

For this case study, a survey was made through online application Google Forms. The survey consisted of

seven questions with the following key areas: (1) Awareness of Road Congestion Factors, (2) Motivation for
Owning a Private Vehicle, and (3) Private Vehicles in Road Congestion. For the questions, the majority were in checklist form with an option to provide their own answer, and yes or no, The survey was circulated through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to target the age group needed for this case study.

RESULTS

In the annual report of the LTO prepared January 23, 2014, it revealed that there are currently 7, 690, 038

MVs registered. This is 551, 096 increase from the number of MVs registered back in 2011, which was 7, 138,
942. Furthermore, out of the 7, 690, 038 MVs registered by January 2014, 6, 673, 815 are private MVs. These values proved what Dr. Sahlee Carino-Buban, spokesperson of the Concerned Citizens Traffic, lamented in an article published in The Philippine Star, July 23, 2012. Carino-Buban voiced out that it is indeed the sheer number of vehicles that causes the flow of traffic in Metro Manila to a “slow, miserable crawl.” The article also quoted the following statistics:

The group said the Land Transportation Office reported a 28 percent increase in the number of new

privately owned cars in the country. In 2010, there were 58,969 new cars registered with the LTO,

adding to about 750,000 existing ones. The Chamber of Automotives in the Philippines Inc. reported a

27 percent jump from last year’s, with 168,490 new cars now using a big proportion of Metro Manila

roads.

PERCEPTION OF CURRENT AND FUTURE PRIVATE VEHICLE OWNERS TO ROAD
CONGESTION

Fig 1. Land Transportation’s Office, Annual Report 2013

The LTO also reported that there are 210,840 registered jeepney units with franchises, with about

50,085 units plying in Metro Manila. Most of those with franchises are using mostly 10 to 20-year-old

jeepney units, which normally cause sudden traffic jams due to accidental mechanical breakdowns.

MMDA reported more than 400,000 privately owned cars use EDSA and other major and minor roads

everyday. Another 409,000 passenger jeepneys and FX taxis share the use of roads, along with

61,000 trucks and trailers. Buses only account for 6,087 units.

In an article published October 23, 2014 in Manila Standard Today, several proposals for road congestion were identified. The article provided two pending bills requiring new car owners to prove they have parking space before buying their cars and modifying the color coding scheme by bringing down car usage four times a week instead of six . These pending bills are in Valenzuela and Quezon City, respectively. Manila Standard Today also raised the question “What are the probable solutions to ease vehicular traffic in Metro Manila?” in question-and-answer crowdsourcing platform Quora. A Manila Standard Today reader suggested:

1. An efficient mass transit system will greatly decrease vehicular traffic. This will encourage people to

leave their cars at home. Efficiency will include:

PERCEPTION OF CURRENT AND FUTURE PRIVATE VEHICLE OWNERS TO ROAD
CONGESTION

- reliable arrival times of buses and trains so people can plan their travel time

- making it easy for commuters to hop from one system to the next through a unified ticketing system

and ensuring that areas for loading and unloading are close to each other. In other countries, it is easy

to get from point A to point B in one or two metro rides

- in the case of bus stops, ensure that people get in line so that people can board safely especially the

pregnant, the elderly, and parties with small children

2. Some cities also charge a toll for vehicles coming into the city during peak hours. This is something

we can probably duplicate.

3. Carpooling is also important but not as popular in the Philippines. The current UV system operates

based on this principle and fills that gap. It allows those who reside in the outskirts of Metro Manila

e.g. Laguna and Cavite to come to Makati relatively cheaply and more efficiently than if they had

brought their cars

Another Manila Standard Today reader answered:

It might be close to impossible to stop growth in Metro Manila, so Subic, Clark, Nuvali, etc. those are

your long-term solutions. Like most congestion problems, the solution is to provide more channels for

traffic flow and decentralizing concentrated areas of activity. Simply speaking, having your “Makati”,

“Eastwood”, or “Ortigas” areas outside of Metro Manila, could be the best solution for the next

generation.

It was also suggested in the answers to emulate what Singapore does: for one to be able to purchase a car, he or she must be able to acquire a Certificate of Entitlement. Most of the answers disagreed with the notion that there should be better infrastructure. They stated that it will only worsen the situation as it would result to more roadworks, more routing, more vehicles, and of course, more traffic.
I.

Awareness for Road Congestion Factors
Answering the question what is the cause of road congestion, the top result for is public transit making

unregulated stops in roads, having 66 out of 77 respondents. 62 respondents then answered blockage in roads such as road work, double parking, traffic incidents etc. 57 answered poor traffic enforcement and 52 answered that there are too many private vehicles. 40 out of 77 respondents identified the cause of road congestion as too many pedestrians not following rules.

PERCEPTION OF CURRENT AND FUTURE PRIVATE VEHICLE OWNERS TO ROAD
CONGESTION

Fig 2. Survey Results for Awareness for Road Congestion Factors

II. Motivation for Owning A Private Vehicle
65 out of 77 respondents own a vehicle, and out of the 12 who doesn’t have their own, 11 are planning to avail vehicles in the future.

Fig 3. Survey Results for Motivation for Owning A Private Vehicle

68 responded that they bought a private vehicle as public transit is inefficient, uncomfortable, and unsafe; having your own car eliminates the need for public transit. There is no public transit covering the places I need to go to,
17 respondents said. Three answered they wanted a private vehicle for bragging rights.

PERCEPTION OF CURRENT AND FUTURE PRIVATE VEHICLE OWNERS TO ROAD
CONGESTION

III. Private Vehicles In Road Congestion

When asked the question if there are too many private vehicles on the road already, 58 out of 77

responded yes.

Fig 4. Survey Results for Private Vehicles In Road Congestion

47 out of this 58 agreed that the most desirable solution is better public transit in terms of coverage,

safety, comfortability, and efficiency. 13 out of this 58 suggested building of infrastructure to accommodate more vehicles (road widening, flyovers, etc). Two answered government management of private vehicle ownership and usage (higher taxes and registration fees for car owners, road taxes, vehicle quota scheme), two answered modification of color coding scheme, and one opted for a safe carpooling scheme. One answered to build outwards, and not make the city more dense, and another one suggested to leave enforcement to the private sector, specifically the car dealers, when it comes to ownership (must provide proof that the car they will purchase will have its own proper parking space etc). Only one answered self-discipline of all private and public drivers.

CONCLUSION

In Elihu Katz’ Uses and Gratifications Theory, it is assumed that people individuals use media to gratify

their needs. In the same way, both public and private motor vehicles are used for to gratify the needs of the users.
With this rationale, more and more vehicles are being registered per year, with private vehicles being the biggest group on the road. Going back to the Used and Gratifications Theory, these private vehicles are bought for the

PERCEPTION OF CURRENT AND FUTURE PRIVATE VEHICLE OWNERS TO ROAD
CONGESTION

needs of the buyer- for more efficiency, safety, convenience, and comfortability. Even the people who do not own one plans to buy one in the future.

There is a contrast between what the 16-25 age group perceives to what is actually perceived by older

age groups and shown in data, specifically the number of private vehicles and its relation to traffic. As much as too many private vehicles is the main concern of the older age groups, the younger age group finds that unregulated stops of PUVs to be the main reason for road congestion. There are a lot of respondents who suggested building more infrastructures to accommodate more vehicles- the older age group disagrees. However, they both agree that the most desirable solution is having a better public transit that covers more areas and is safe. In addition, they agree the better public transit would also mean efficient machinery and comfortability. It is implied that once there are better modes of public transit, individuals wouldn’t have to take their own private vehicles for their everyday routines.

These results can serve as a launching pad for future studies to be done about road congestion,

specifically in the interest of private motor vehicles. Future researchers can further do research on how many private cars are actually on the road in any given date and time for more concise analysis and legitimacy. Also, future studies of this nature can provide more information about the legal practices in other countries when it comes to private ownership of vehicles, such as in Singapore and in China. One could also compare the number of private vehicles on the road before and after the establishment of an exemplary public transit.

REFERENCES

Griffin, E. (2012). Uses and Gratification. In A first look at communication theory (8.th ed., pp. 357-365).

London: McGraw-Hill Education.

Land Transportation Office (2014, January 04). 2013 annual report of the Land Transportation Office.

Retrieved November 13, 2014 from http://www.lto.gov.ph/index.php/component/jdownloads/finish/9/198?
Itemid=0

Ronda, R.

(2012, July 23). Too many vehicles slowing down traffic, group says. The Philippine Star.

Retrieved November 13, 2014 from http://www.philstar.com/metro/2012/07/23/830576/too-many-vehiclesslowing-down-traffic-group-says

Zurbano, J.

(2014, October 23). Tales of traffic horror inspire 'solutions'. Manila Standard Today.

Retrieved November 13, 2014 from http://manilastandardtoday.com/mobile/2014/10/23/tales-of-traffic-horrorinspire-solutions-/