Alonzo, Renz Aimeriza A.

Natural Resources and Environmental Law

JD 4201 Atty. Galahad R.A. Pe Benito

Proposal: Modern Traffic Regulations System

a. Synchronizing or Coordinating Traffic Lights
b. Use of Traffic Volume Sensors and Traffic Cameras
c. Real Time GPS information technology

Legal Basis: Section 11: Air Quality Control Techniques

a. Best available technology and alternative methods of prevention, management
and control of air pollution
b. Best available technology economically achievable which shall refer to the
technological basis/standards for emission limits applicable to existing, direct
industrial emitters of non-conventional and toxic pollutants; and
c. Alternative fuels, processes and operating methods which will result in the
elimination or significant reduction of emissions
Such information may also include data relating to the cost of installation and operation,
energy requirements, emission reduction benefits, and environmental impact or the
emission control technology.

Rationale: To relieve traffic congestions and lower pollution in Metro Manila.

In a world that technology is changing in a daily basis, the Philippines must have to
strengthen its research and development to continually update its list of air pollution control
technology. People are able to use different transportation facilities such as automotive vehicles,
subways, and bicycles. However, among all these transportation facilities, automotive vehicles
are still the most adopted due to its comfort and practicality. In this way, assuming a continuous
population growth, the number of vehicles in large cities will increase as well, but much faster
than transportation infrastructure; consequently, traffic congestion will become a pressing issue.
It creates several negative concerns for the environment and society such as increasing in number
of traffic accidents, economical impacts, and high levels of greenhouse emissions.

One of my solutions for traffic congestions is the use of modern traffic regulations
systems.

a. Our traffic lights should be synchronized or coordinated. Even the newly installed
traffic lights in Makati are not synchronized with the pedestrian crossing lights. The flow of
traffic will be continuous. The amount of respect shown for traffic lights depends mostly on the
presence or absence of police. Since there are some traffic lights that allow a left turn on red,
people tend to turn left at any traffic light. If road users stop at a red traffic light, they will try to
bring their vehicles to the front line stretched across the whole road, in the hope of gaining a
good starting position. In this way, when the light turns green, they block the road for traffic
coming from the opposite direction. People should have attention and discipline in using the
traffic lights.1 Special regulations are important for the efficient movement of traffic in specific
segments of a street and road system. For instance, one-way streets in congested urban areas may
provide safer driving conditions and increase the traffic-carrying capacity of the system. The
provision of special turn arrows in traffic signals or the prohibition of turns at intersections
contribute to safety, increase traffic throughput, and reduce conflict. 2 This is a way of lessening
the traffic congestions and pollution in Metro Manila.

b. The use traffic volume sensor should be installed, as well as traffic cameras to
apprehend violators and to determine traffic areas in order to relieve traffic congestions. This is
highly recommended in the urban areas of Metro Manila especially in EDSA. A traffic count is a
count of vehicular or pedestrian traffic, which is conducted along a particular road, path,
or intersection. A traffic count is commonly undertaken either automatically (with the
installation of a temporary or permanent electronic traffic recording device), or manually by
observers who visually count and record traffic on a hand-held electronic device or tally
sheet. Traffic counts can be used by local councils to identify which routes are used most, and to
either improve that road or provide an alternative if there is an excessive amount of traffic.
Sensor technology represents the cornerstone of highway traffic monitoring and incident
management. Inductive loop detectors, which are the most widely used type of sensor, are an
example of intrusive detectors that require cutting into the pavement for installation and
maintenance.3 This can determine were the area is congested and may monitor the release of
those emissions in the area.

c. The use of Real time GPS information technology is a worldwide radio-navigation

system formed from the constellation of 24 satellites and their ground stations. Global
Positioning System tracking is a method of working out exactly where something is. A GPS
tracking system, for example, may be placed in a vehicle, on a cell phone, or on special GPS
devices, which can either be a fixed or portable unit. GPS works by providing information on
exact location. It can also track the movement of a vehicle or person. So, for example, a GPS
tracking system can be used by a company to monitor the route and progress of a delivery truck,
and by parents to check on the location of their child, or even to monitor high-valued assets in
transit.4
In the Philippines, motorists and drivers currently use Waze; an application developed
providing turn-by-turn navigation information and user-submitted travel times and route details,
while downloading location-dependent information over a mobile telephone network. The
Government should develop an application similar to Waze. Comprehensive Street and Road
Signs should be installed in Metro Manila to reassess signage positioning in approximating to
intersections and density.

1
Wolfram Lorenz, The impact of modern traffic and traditional life on informal traffic rules; The example of
Yogyakarta, (2002).
2
Fred J. Benson and Maxwell Gordon Lay, Roads and Highways, Encyclopedia Britannica, available at,
https://www.britannica.com/technology/road (last accessed December 2, 2018).
3
Atluri, Chowdhury, Kanhere, Fries, Sarasua and Ogle, Development of a Sensor Systemfor Traffic Data
Collection, (2007).
4
Patrick Bertagna, How does a GPS Tracking system work?, available at,
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1278363 (last accessed December 2, 2018)
 The important rules of the road are reasonably uniform throughout the world. For
instance, in most countries drivers must give right-of-way to vehicles on their right. However, in
practice the stop and yield (or give-way) signs have commonly supplanted the right-of-way
rule. Speed limits vary greatly with jurisdiction. Speed limits are commonly reduced on roads
approaching residential, shopping, or school areas and on dangerous road sections and sharp
curves. In managing traffic on congested roads, road users have developed efficient informal
rules and a complex system of communication. They have been ingenious in finding ways to deal
with transportation problems and evade the formal rules transportation efficiency is still an active
and challenging research area due to the criticality of the transportation infrastructure being
monitored by such systems.