Schools reopened last week and for someone who lives near my town’s main thoroughfare, sandwiched by a public and private school, the end of that short period when my mornings were peaceful. I now wake up to the incessant noise of tricycles and other vehicles that are dropping off kids by around 6:45 a.m.
Aside from the noise that motor vehicles make, which reminds me they are primarily responsible for the noise pollution in our cities, another challenge for homeowners in busy areas are the driveway and intersection blockers that crawl out of the woodwork during that busy time of day.
This situation is exacerbated in a world where either sidewalks are unsafe or nonexistent, or people are just too damn lazy to be inconvenienced to walk more than 10 steps, or all of the above.
Despite the number of tanods and traffic enforcers in school zones, it is interesting to see how they just focus on managing the pedestrian crossing and not on enforcing any kind of order in the entire area.
At the intersection of my 2-lane street and the main road, there is a makeshift transport terminal right at the corner because that is where all the tricycle drivers drop off school kids and parents, as well as wait for their next passengers. That terminal exists because there is no designated area for then so they have taken it for themselves, no enforcement to stop them from doing so, no viable sidewalk to a proper loading and unloading area that is not right at the intersection, and also because it is ok for everyone else is too lazy to walk a few more meters. I am sure that this situation, where makeshift transport terminals are allowed to exist where they shouldn’t, just because it is convenient, is the same for all streets near school zones, in all towns and cities of the country.
If the city and barangay officials aren’t going to do anything about this chaos, then why don’t they just make it official and close such roads to turn it to a terminal at certain hours of the day? That way, reklamadors like me can’t complain that the road where there are double and even triple parked vehicles, constant U-turning, and lots of people getting on and off, is unusable and unsafe.
If they can’t close the road, then there should be an effort to designate a proper loading/unloading zone, preferably not right at the corner/intersection, while at the same time providing a sidewalk, preferably with shade. I’d like to think that Pinoys are not actually too lazy to walk, and would actually use their legs if only the activity were safe and not as inconvenient as our cities are making it by not doing anything about it.
However, because it just happens for a couple of hours, 3 times a day (morning, lunch break, and dismissal) in a certain area, nobody with the power to do anything bothers, and everyone is ok with making do with chaos. It would seem like I’m the only one complaining, mostly because I live right smack in the middle of one.
Aside from the pop up makeshift terminals that make getting to the main road just a block away a daily challenge, these busy times of the day also mean that a lot of the time, many driveways are blocked by inconsiderate vehicle owners who cannot be bothered to find a proper parking or waiting spot, even if means walking a little bit more.
There are many times when I have to ask a blocker to move their vehicle, or in really annoying cases, cannot even enter or exit my own home because the blocker actually had the nerve to park right smack on the driveway.
Since there doesn’t seem to be a way of enforcing this act of common sense and decency, wouldn’t it be nice if LGUs gave out really cheap stickers, the type that annoyingly disintegrates when you try to peel it off, with words like “DRIVEWAY BLOCKER” printed on it, for residents to stick on the windshields of such cars, in case they simply cannot be found? I’ve been tempted to have some made for my own use, but if you come to think of it, an LGU-issued one would be great as it comes with a bit of authority.
Whether it is a school or party zone, or areas that have a tendency to get crowded with people and vehicles, should get more attention from the barangay because such chaos, aside from being unsafe, makes the LGU look bad. The presence of enforcers but lack of proper enforcement also makes it a hotspot for mishaps and conflicts, especially when the street corners are essentially blocked; improper, illegal and squatter parkers abound; and driveway blockers annoy the frustrated locals who have to deal with their crap every time it gets busy.
Is it too much for people who live and work in school areas to ask for a little more order from the city and barangay officials who are supposed to be responsible for that? If a school zone is allowed to be a hotspot and an example of what it is like to have neither a system nor discipline, what kind of lessons are we teaching our kids when they see how the real world works, right outside their schools?*
