The ongoing fuel crisis that we are going through, which does not seem to have an end in sight thanks to US President Donald Trump allowing itself to be manipulated by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a war that he doesn’t even understand, much less know how to get out of, has changed a lot of habits and attitudes when it comes to our car-centric society.
Roads are suddenly quite clear of traffic, as the prohibitive cost of filling up gas tanks has discouraged the casual and irresponsible use of cars. With gas station price signboards unable to accommodate skyrocketing prices that have shot up to three digits, people are staying home instead of going on joyrides to the mall, embarking on errands, or meeting friends and family whenever they feel like it.
People who live ‘out of town’ such as the Silaynons and Talisaynons, who are more naturally more fuel conscious, will probably feel a bit of the pain, but they have already been trained since childhood to be as efficient as possible when planning their days. That includes consolidating trips, carpooling, and maybe even inheriting the anti-social gene where a tendency to prefer to stay home is common.
However, if you come to think of it, our world has been in crisis for quite some time already, and we have just been conveniently ignoring the annoying alarm bells because until now, we have been able to afford it. We have been happily burning fossil fuels, to the detriment of a rapidly warming planet where the climate is changing, contributing to extreme weather events that are wreaking havoc on our communities, simply because it didn’t hurt our wallets so much back then.
Now that using cars hurts, we have no choice but to cut back on unnecessary use and/or find more efficient ways of getting around, which is something that we have been told to start doing, for years.
We should know by now that the car is one of the most wasteful and inefficient modes of transportation. Considering its capacity, compared to the space it takes up on roads, the fuel it consumes, the emissions it generates, and the additional real estate needed for parking, it is a mystery why governments continue to encourage it and many of us are still obsessed with ‘dream cars’ when they actually contribute to the nightmare we are in right now.
Perhaps it is because we have no other options when it comes to transportation. With a public transportation system that sucks and cities that are totally unwalkable, Filipinos have no choice but to own cars, and once they have one, the tendency is to use it very inefficiently. It is only because of the current Trump-fueled fuel crisis that we have stopped to think about the economic and environmental costs of owning and using a car.
Now that we are cutting back on car usage, which is pretty obvious from the much lighter traffic on our streets, it may be time to reconsider our long term relationship with that particularly inefficient mode of transport.
It’s easy to blame the government for not coming up with the necessary policies, programs, and alternatives that should wean us from our unsustainable and unhealthy dependence and obsession on cars. But if it tried to implement something like Singapore’s certificate of entitlement quota system, where prospective car owners have to bid for one to own a car, making car ownership much more expensive, the middle class would probably overthrow the government, maybe because they see public transportation as terrible, and also because many Filipinos are not willing to change their lifestyles, even if they are told it is for their own and the common good.
This crisis is the best time for our country to take a long hard look at what our future should look like, and decide which way we are going. How long are we going to stay car-centric? If we choose that path, how will we manage our dependence on imported fuel, in case another war erupts in the Middle East?
If we choose to wean ourselves from cars and the grip of the auto and petrochemical industries, our leaders will need a long term plan, which includes the establishment of infrastructure, equipment, manpower, and systems that will be necessary for a truly modernized and efficient public transportation system that can replace our dependence on private vehicles. And can they commit to a proper transition, even with the protests and complaints that will surely follow?
In the end, what is important is that our government provides the necessary safeguards from shocks, like the one we are currently enduring, whether the chosen public transportation system is powered by electricity or diesel. A well designed one will ensure that life doesn’t have to drastically change when events like wars cause supply disruptions.
What we are going through now simply tells us that the current system is no longer working. Do we start doing something about it now, or just hope and pray that Trump gets to declare his victory and the world magically goes back to ‘normal’?*
