Unlocking better opportunities in our cities

MANILA, Philippines – Traffic and lack of parking space in Metro Manila isn’t just inconvenient – it’s affecting how we live our lives.

A recent independent study commissioned by Uber Philippines revealed that the average Metro Manila driver wastes an average of 23 days a year, enduring slow traffic or looking for parking. That’s way too much time spent being stuck stressed on the road. And it’s not just the problem of car owners – commuters are affected, too.

It has reached a point that traffic dictates what time we leave our homes or offices (or if we even leave our homes at all). It influences how often we decide to set meetings or dinners. It makes us question whether it’s worth it to take the long drive or commute to a destination a few cities away.

Consider how this affects not just thousands of drivers, but also millions of commuters in Metro Manila. It’s enough to make one ask, “can’t things be better?”

Our right to free time

Traffic robs us of time, money, and the opportunity to make our lives better.

According to the same Uber study, drivers spend a daily average of 66 minutes being stuck in traffic, and an additional 23 minutes looking for parking. Those 89 minutes could’ve been spent relaxing at home, being with friends and family, or doing something more productive.

We could’ve also used all that time to give our brains a break. Throughout the day, we spend so much effort multi-tasking and getting things done as fast possible. But we also deserve to enjoy doing nothing occasionally. Research suggests that daydreaming can make you more creative and that giving your brain some ‘downtime’ can improve mental health, especially at work.

Imagine a city where there is less traffic. Commuters and passengers can spend more time being better individuals and citizens – helping build better cities.

Help unlock Metro Manila

How can we solve the problem of traffic and lack of parking spaces? We can clamor for the government to improve public transportation and beef up road infrastructure. But can’t we also do our own part to beat traffic and unlock Metro Manila from congestion?

For example, if ridesharing were to become widely adopted in the city, it could help take off up to 1 million cars on our roads, according to the Uber study.

It would save us from having to build more parking spaces that would cover approximately twice the size of Makati City, just to accommodate the current volume of cars plying Metro Manila.

When we free up our roads and parking spaces, we create room for progress in our cities – and more breathing space for our lives.

Isn’t that better than letting traffic dictate how we should live? – Rappler.com