Technological Institute of the Philippines

Manila

Research Method for Architecture

AR42FA1

Study on Cause of Traffic along EDSA

Submitted to:

AR. Josefina S. De Asis

Submitted by:

Madarsng,Kassandra P.
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

I. INTRODUCTION

Traffic congestion is a condition on transport networks that occurs as increases, and is characterized by
slower speeds, long time for trips, and increased vehicular numbers. When traffic demand is great enough that the
interaction between vehicles slows the speed of the traffic stream, this results in some congestion. While congestion
is a possibility for any mode of transportation.

It is also occurs when a volume of traffic generates demand for space greater than the available street
capacity. There are a number of specific circumstances that cause congestion, most of them reduce the capacity of a
road at a given point or over a certain length, or increase the number of vehicles required for a given volume of
people or goods.

It is also a real social problem that needs to be resolved because of its serious effects. In a nutshell, it
isolates people from their various activities such as business, recreation, and family time, results in a less productive
work force. Except when they commit the dangerous and potentially fatal mistake of talking to someone on their
mobile phones, drivers are not very productive while commuting. In the Philippines where majority of employee take
public transport, people use the time they’re stuck in traffic to call work, issue instructions or clarify issues, but on the
whole, everyone ends up tense, frustrated and already tired when they get to work. Congestion caused by
unexpected events can also lead to higher statistics of vehicular accidents. When traffic incidents occur, congestion
often appears in places where motorists do not expect it. Rubbernecking and conflicts with emergency vehicles also
serve to exacerbate the problem.

In relation with the traffic congestion the current issue of the Philippines is now losing ₱3.5 billion a day due
to traffic congestion in Metro Manila. In its 2014 report partnering with the National Economic Development Authority
(NEDA), the country suffered ₱2.4 billion losses daily due to Metro Manila traffic. The report then projected ₱3.5
billion in daily losses by 2017. This current situation leads to a lot of studies that causes factors that influence the flow
of traffic roads have become more congested, commuting time and distance lengthened, congestion and comfort
level of public transport decreased. And now traffic congestion is old issue and still also growing problem in Metro
manila as said in the current issue especially in EDSA.

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA It was built in 1939-1940
under the presidency of Manuel Quezon as part of a grand scheme of road organization in greater Manila.
Envisioned as an elegant parkway, it was to be a link between the new city of Quezon City, created in 19392 to be
the capital of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, and the Manila airport established in Makati in 19373.This “North
and South Circumferential Road” was renamed ‘Highway 54” in 1945 by the American occupying forces, while some
Filipino lawmakers wanted to call it “19 de Junio” (birthdate of the national hero and poet Jose Rizal). The Philippine
Congress finally decided in 1959 to honor a renowned multi-talented Filipino intellectual, Epifanio De los Santos y
Cristobal (1871-1928). The long name being a mouthful to pronounce, the road quickly came to be known as EDSA.

EDSA serves as a major connector between the Northern and Southern part of the metropolitan area, as
well as South Luzon to North Luzon in general, due to the geographical setting of the metropolitan area between the
water bodies of Manila Bay to the West and Laguna de Bay to the Southeast (mountains prevent any major
transportation activity on the eastern side of central Luzon). It runs for 24 kilometers from Caloocan, in the Northern
part of the metropolitan area, starting at the Andres Bonifacio Monument (“Monumento”) to Pasay in the South,
ending on a traffic circle adjacent to the famous SM Mall of Asia shopping complex. It arcs in a semi-circle through
the Eastern part of the metropolitan area, crossing also parts of Quezon City (Balintawak, Kamuning, Cubao), San
Juan, Mandaluyong (Ortigas) and Makati (Guadalupe, Buendia, Ayala). It is an essential component of the spatial
structuration of the Manila metropolitan area. Its powerful role in shaping the geography of activities within the
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

metropolitan area is apparent with the location of the shopping malls, car dealerships, business centers, hotels,
government agencies and provincial bus terminals alongside this axis of circulation.

On most of its length, the EDSA is a controlled-access highway, 3 to 5 lanes wide in each direction with few
at-grade crossings: an urban freeway, built mostly at street level, unlike the Shanghai or Tokyo freeways. In a few
spots, vehicular traffic crosses EDSA either underground (BoniPioneer tunnel in Mandaluyong, Quezon Avenue in
Quezon City) or above it (Skyway in southern Makati, Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong). A major cloverleaf
interchange marks the connection between North Luzon expressway and EDSA at the Quezon City / Caloocan
border and a very intricate interchange exists at Magallanes with the South Luzon Expressway. In parts of Makati,
EDSA is located in a trench below the level of regular street pattern, which makes it quite vulnerable to flooding in the
Magallanes section.

In other places, EDSA is elevated to cross transversal roads (Ortigas Avenue Flyover in Mandaluyong,
Santolan Road in Quezon City). But EDSA has some at-grade crossings with other major roads: Taft Avenue
Rotunda (Pasay), Katipunan Avenue, Aurora

Boulevard in Cubao, Kamias Rd and Kamuning Rd, East and South Avenues, North and West Avenues,
Roosevelt and Congressional Avenues (Quezon City), and also at Monumento in Caloocan (Rizal Ave and McArthur
Highway). This impairs the smooth flow of traffic. In different parts of EDSA, vehicles use left side U-Turns on EDSA:
right turn into EDSA, followed by a change of lanes from the outside to the inside lines, to reach a U-turn spot, then
more change of lanes back to the outside lanes and finally a right turn exit out of EDSA. It is inefficient, accident-
prone and complicates traffic, even more when the U turning vehicle is a bus.

A number of pedestrian overpasses have been built, some (15) associated with rail transit stations, some
just to cross the avenue (9). In other words, there are 24 safe crossing points for pedestrians for a 24 km long
highway: just one per kilometer. At-grade crossings are discouraged but not impossible, at the pedestrian’s own risk.

On the right-of-way of EDSA, between 1997 and 2000 the Philippine authorities built a railtransit line, the
MRT (Metropolitan Rapid Transit), mostly running above the middle of EDSA, but sometimes running parallel to it. An
extension of the LRT 1 line (Light Rail Transit) from Monumento to Roosevelt covers the northern section of EDSA.
MRT and LRT rails between Roosevelt and North Avenue are linked, but there is no service between the two end
stations, forcing commuters to walk or use road public transport. In Cubao (Quezon City), LRT-2, the East-West line,
crosses the MRT, but the uneasy connection (stations apart by about 500 meters) also takes passengers back into
the streets. It is a little easier in Pasay, at the Taft Avenue end of MRT for the connection with LRT 1 (EDSA station),
where an elaborate network of pedestrian overpasses have been built, comparable to what exists in Quiapo between
the Recto (LRT 2) and Doroteo Jose (LRT 1) stations.

Today, Edsa has become a major route for the delivery of trade products. Beginning in Caloocan with the
Andres Bonifacio monument and ending in Pasay at a roundabout near SM Mall of Asia, the highway comprises a big
portion of C-4, one of the five circumferential roads in the metropolis. In all, it cuts through five cities: Caloocan,
Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Pasay. More vehicles are expected to traverse EDSA this year, the
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) warned. The MMDA said over 400,000 vehicles are expected to
pass through EDSA daily this year, significantly higher than the 357,000 vehicles that traveled the said road daily in
2017. The projection, according to the MMDA, is based on the number of newly-registered vehicles last September,
which reached 50,000.MMDA Spokesperson Celine Pialago believes that these newly registered vehicles were
bought to avoid the new excise taxes on vehicles that will start to take effect. Aside from the increase in the volume
of vehicles, the MMDA added that infrastructure projects are also seen to add to the congestion this year. The
excellent accessibility in EDSA has clearly attracted a lot of commercial investment and strategic implantation. But
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

this abundance of shopping centers, office plazas, and places of employment generates at the same time an
enormous amount of traffic on EDSA along this particular area…

II. PROBLEM SETTING

1. Statement of the Problem

 What is the main cause of traffic along EDSA that always result to double or
triple hours of driving?

2. Delimitations
 The Focus of the study is the heavy traffic on EDSA specifically SM north to
Munoz
 Observation on rush hour on the weekdays (Monday and Friday) that is between
5:00-7:00pm because these specific timeframe have the greatest volume of people on the
road to reach their destination.

3. Assumption
 In the Philippines, there are many factors or reason of traffic along EDSA (SM
north- Munoz), the possible reasons are the behavior of drivers to the road or to other
drivers, loading and unloading of passengers or station, number of vehicles traveling, and
so on.

4. Objectives of the Study

 To determine the root cause of traffic congestion along EDSA, specifically the
stretch of SM north to Munoz

5. Importance of the Study

The importance of this study is to know who is the origin of the heavy congestion
that takes all of the vehicles to almost to a halt on the busiest road in Metro Manila and
this study may also help the Department of Transportation especially Land Transportation
Office who is also responsible for enforcement of land transportation rules and
regulations and adjudication of traffic cases. These are the things that we think that might
have something to do with the cause of traffic congestion along EDSA. Identifying the
different factors that cause the traffic and narrowing it down to the main cause.

Hypothesis
`The root Cause of the traffic congestion along EDSA specifically the area of SM north to Munoz is
the increased volume of private vehicles traveling.

III. Review of related literature

Traffic Management at Junctions along Taft Avenue Using Graph Theory. Traffic congestions are caused by the
lack of proper infrastructures or alternate routes, and poor public transport options that result in delays, inability to
determine travel time, unnecessary fuel consumption, pollution, road rage, and inability of emergency vehicles to
respond immediately. Based on 2015 Number Traffic Index, the Philippines with an average one-way travelling time
of 45.50 minutes, dissatisfaction rate of 3,724.39, and index of 202.31 points, placed ninth in the world in terms of
negative traffic situation. On 2015Global Driver Satisfaction Index, Metro Manila with a score of 0.4 points, rated as
``worst traffic in the world'' by the users of traffic and navigation application Waze. This study is restricted to the
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

algorithms, concepts and definitions found in the main reference. Also, it is limited to apply only the first point solution
from the proposed methodology exclusively on the five major junctions along Taft Avenue: Pedro Gil Street (P. Gil),
Quirino Avenue, P.Ocampo Street (Vito Cruz), Gil Puyat Avenue (Buendia), and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue
(EDSA). Also, unrelated parameters in the studysuch as road constructions, vehicular accidents and road law
violators will not be considered and the efficiency of the modified road maps will still depend on the citizens abiding
the law. This study may be a significant solution in imposing proper traffic management in a junction where traffic
congestion usually occurs.

They have two methods that they use for the study; the first is The Crossover Method, they rank the vertices based
on the number of interruptions in a descending manner. Then, at each vertex, we disregard the loops and the
incident edges included in the main flow along Taft Avenue since these are major flows that keep the main road
connected. We set a threshold at each vertex by averaging the corresponding volume of its remaining incident
edges. Starting from the vertex with the most number of interruptions, we remove the incident edges below the
threshold starting from the edge with the lowest volume, the next one is The Mutation Method, in this method they list
all the edges in our graph and sort out the edges that can be removed. Note that loops and edges included in the
main flow of Taft Avenue are not candidates for edge removal. Then, from the list, were move only one edge at a
time from the original graph until all the edges from this list has been selected.

The result in particular, road manipulation was performed in order to minimize interruptions. Two modified road maps
were obtained using two methods of edge removal which are better than the original road map. In addition, a fitness
function was computed to determine the effectiveness of the modifications.

In Sylhet, newly born Metropolitan City of north eastern Bangladesh, faces severe traffic congestion due to
rapid and uncontrolled development by an unacceptable level of disparity in transportation demand and supply
scenario resulting in environmental degradation as well. To assess the severity of the existing traffic system engulfed
by tremendous traffic congestion in Sylhet city a study was conducted The study revealed that Ambarkhana to
Chowhatta link, the core link of the city was found as the busiest, link, whereas, the Ambarkhana intersection was
found to be the most critical one showing the maximum traffic volume at a rate of 9111 PCU/h. Two traffic congestion
peaks, first at 11.00 to 12.00 mainly by office, business and education trips and the second at 17:00 to 18:00 due to
business and shopping trips was observed. Traffic congestion mainly occurred by non-motorized vehicles (47
percent) such as rickshaw and pushcart, which was followed by tempo (15 percent), private car (14 percent). Illegal
occupations on the roadside by hawkers, mobile shops etc. (34 percent) were among the major causes of traffic
congestion in the city. Maximum pedestrian movement was found at Zindabazar to Chowhatta link running through
the only busy commercial zone of

the city. The Roadway Congestion Index (RCI) of 2.36 indicated the severity of traffic congestion of Sylhet
City. Such a detailed scenario of the traffic paradigm of the urban conglomeration of a developing country is depicted
in this paper.

The study has been conducted by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shah Jalal University of
Science and Technology, Sylhet for assessing the existing traffic condition in Sylhet City Corporation (SCC). They
conduct it first by Selection of Study Area For the analysis of regional transportation activities and also indicating road
networks in Sylhet City Corporation showing important intersections Details of ward-wise population and zone-wise
automobile ownership. The second activity was Traffic Volume Count by analyzing the twelve-hour traffic volumes,
the period of peak flows is assessed. Traffic volume is expressed as passenger car unit per hour (PCU/h) some of
the important are Road Geometry and Flow Capacity, Pedestrian Count, Quantifying Congestion, they also conduct
by doing Household Interview, Travel Time Survey, and Secondary Data Collection.
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

The result had a lot of survey works were performed as a part of the study. Among the intersection survey, link
volume count, household interview, roadside interview, pedestrian counts were the main primary data sources. They
get a data on each activity which leads them in having a result of knowing on what is the cause of a heavy traffic in
the city of sylhet like Lack of traffic signs and signal, Vehicle Responsible for Congestion, Management Problem,
Improper Design of Intersections, and Parking Facility. After getting result they proceed in having a conclusion and
recommendation for the study.

In relation to our study we may ask for some help to the government like Land Transportation Office for some
information or resources to aid us in our study of the root cause of traffic on EDSA

Cagayan de oro City, a highly urbanized and capital city of the province Misamis Oriental. It also serves as
the regional trade center of th entire Northern Mindanao region. The city covers 488.86 sq.km or 13.9% of whole
province and is bordered by the municipality of Tagoloan to the east, the municipality of Opol to the west and the
provinces of bukidnon and lanao del norte to the south. Due to the increasing population, the demand of
motorization also increases which further result to traffic congestion. Land Transportation Office reported of increase
of vehicular registration in the city. The city experiences traffic congestion in almost every main street intersection
during peak hour periods.

The researchers made a criterion for the selection of the intersection for their study. They evaluated four intersections
that is a central business district with four lanes on all the four streets, although there is an on-street parking facility
on all of the four streets but there is no unified parking style for vehicles. The data collection consist of surveys
conducted on a specific day and time on a specific sub topic like traffic volume at intersections, parking demand and
supply and pedestrian facilities. In their method of analysis they used surveillance videos to get the exact data and a
counting device for every vehicular at a specific time and also pedestrian counts on either sidewalk or crosswalks.

The result was that parking supply was met by parking demand but parking demand from 4:30 has increased due to
illegal parking of vehicles. The data shows for parking demand is that drivers are in difficult to find a parking space
thus increasing its effect on the delay of other vehicles. Sidewalks should have sufficient capacity to accommodate
the pedestrian; the study found out that the sidewalk’s width is higher than the standard sidewalk but the width of the
ramp is slightly less than the minimum width of 2.40m. However the presence of sidewalk vendors obstructs
pedestrians to walk on the sidewalks.

Their method of gathering data is almost same idea as ours, but we will only survey before the traffic and after the
traffic congestion on a specific time and day.

In Metro Manila they experience every day the worsening of traffic congestion. Unified Vehicular Volume
Reduction Program (UVVRP) is still implemented along major roads in Metro Manila. UVVRP is also known as
number of coding. The study made an investigation of the traffic scheme, concluding then that private vehicle
volumes were not really reduced by 20% as projected by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) but
by a low 4.3%. The following year is the current inclusion of public transport vehicles in the implementation of the
scheme. In the year 1995, the Odd-Even Scheme for private vehicles with less than 3 passengers; major roads only;
7:00-9:00 AM and 5:00 – 7:00 PM the odd banned in Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday;

the even number banned in Monday, Wednesday and Friday. In FEBRUARY 1996, they limit odd and even
scheme included the public transport and trucks banned in Monday 1,2; Tuesday 3,4; Wednesday 5,6; Thursday 7,8;
Friday 9,0. In JUNE 1996, the UVVRP all roads; 7:00 am up to 7:00 pm but not include the public transport in 2003.

This research, they do the adjusting to the UVVRP usually the scheme was enforced from 7:00 am up to 7:00 pm.
They use 3 ways to adjust first is the change of travelling time. So, people they travel from the start to their
destination are before 7:00 am and they would back after 7:00 pm. Second is if the cars are coding the people would
shift to public transportation. Because every if one car was coding the car will not be able to travel that’s why there is
one less vehicle. And the last is the buying another vehicle. If the people can afford buying another car they buy
another one. They observed the traffic during the mid-day. “MMDA introduced a window from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM to
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

allow all vehicles to travel during that period while retaining the restrictions of the number coding scheme from 7:00 –
10:00 AM and 3:00 – 7:00 PM”.

Using the MMUTIS they evaluate the two-wide schemes in the UVVRP and the truck ban. They found that the
UVVRP is still effective in addressing congestion.

For our study in relation to this research we will observe also the traffic but only during the morning and night on peak
hour periods because these are the time that all of the vehicles are on the road.

Kampala is the capital city of Uganda. Uganda is located in Eastern Africa. Due to increasing population in
city, the Government of Uganda formed Body that is independent to run and develop the city Kampala Capital city.
Road transport is major dominant mode of transport in Uganda, with over 90 per cent of passengers and freight
traffic. Kampala is the fastest growing African cities with annual growth rates of 5.6%. Due rapid urban growth
causes major socio-economic and environmental problems that lower the quality of life of the urban dwellers like
accidents, traffic pollution, high travel time, and stress.

The result is that the Government and other bodies should work hand in hand to make sure that they curb
the cause of traffic congestion by fully planning, contracting and managing of public infrastructures and developing
transits control travel demand by concentrating and encouraging public transport, non-motorized like walking,
bicycling and other travel demand management measures car sharing, carpooling.

IV. Conceptual Framework

These are the things that we think that might have something to do with the cause of traffic congestion along
EDSA. Identifying the different factors that cause the traffic and narrowing it down to the main cause.

Hypothesis
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

The root Cause of the traffic congestion along EDSA specifically the area of SM north to
Munoz is the increased volume of private vehicles traveling.

V. METHODOLOGY

Description of sources of data will be the drivers and commuters along in SM north Edsa to Munoz, using
the characteristics of a descriptive research method and observational research technique. Our study will be a
qualitative type of research, under a descriptive survey methodology, using the data collection technique of
observation because there are no specific and consistent individual that can be interviewed for other opinion on the
study and there is only limited time.

Date Time Location

August 27, 2018 8:00pm-9:00pm Munoz Roosevelt Station

August 31, 2018 8:00pm-9:00pm SM North EDSA

September 3, 2018 8:00pm-9:00pm Munoz Roosevelt Station

September 7, 2018 8:00pm-9:00pm SM North EDSA

September 10, 2018 8:00pm-9:00pm Munoz Roosevelt Station

September 14, 2018 8:00pm-9:00pm SM North EDSA

Instruments MUNOZ

Observation Map Starting Point Key points of the study base on the
Fig. shown

SM NORTH EDSA
END point
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

CHAPTER VI. PRESENTATION OF RESULTS, FINDINGS, AND ANALYSIS

August 27, 21018 Munoz Roosevelt Station

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Swerving on other Load and Overtake other Going to the U- Going away from To enter an
lane Unloading vehicle turn slot the U-turn slot establishment
passenger

In this graph the most cause of traffic the loading and unloading of passengers on both area and non area of loading
and unloading.

August 31, 21018 SM North Edsa

25

20

15

10

0
Swerving on Load and Overtake other Going to the U- Going away from To enter an
other lane Unloading vehicle turn slot the U-turn slot establishment
passenger

In this graph the most cause of traffic is the swerving of any type of vehicles on the other lane.
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

September 3, 21018 Munoz Roosevelt Station

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Swerving on Load and Overtake other Going to the U- Going away from To enter an
other lane Unloading vehicle turn slot the U-turn slot establishment
passenger

In this graph the most cause of traffic is the swerving of any type of vehicles on the other lane.

September 7, 21018 SM North Edsa

2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Swerving on Load and Overtake other Going to the U- Going away from To enter an
other lane Unloading vehicle turn slot the U-turn slot establishment
passenger

In this graph the most cause of traffic are both is the swerving of any type of vehicles on the other lane and the
eagerness of the drivers to go to the U-turn slot.
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

September 10, 21018 Munoz Roosevelt Station

20

15

10

0
Swerving on Load and Overtake other Going to the U- Going away from To enter an
other lane Unloading vehicle turn slot the U-turn slot establishment
passenger

In this graph the most cause of traffic is the swerving of any type of vehicles on the other lane.

September 14, 21018 SM North Edsa

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Swerving on Load and Overtake other Going to the U- Going away from To enter an
other lane Unloading vehicle turn slot the U-turn slot establishment
passenger

In this graph the most cause of traffic is the swerving of any type of vehicles on the other lane.
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

VII. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA is always been the
main route to majority of the destinations in Metro Manila and a major route for the delivery of trade
products, connection between southern and northern part of metropolitan area starting from SM Mall of Asia
to Andres Bonifacio Monumento commonly known as Monumento. Since then it becomes the busiest and
most congested major road in metro manila, which leads to the increasing of percentage of cars about 6-10
percent yearly base on (MMDA) Metro Manila Development Authority.

The study was conducted based on precedent study, and other form of argumentation of
congestion in Edsa. The data on this study could help in resolving the outcome of the study.

Based on the results and observations, we conclude that the root cause of the traffic congestion is
the un-disciplinary actions of both drivers and commuters especially on rush hours.

The recommendation that can apply in this study is conducting a seminar for those who will get a
new driver license and for the old register license, some of the seminars are do’s and don’ts
while driving, traffic rules and regulation etc.
 Study on Cause of Traffic Along Edsa

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Abanes, L.K.R., Maniago, J.A.M., & Jos,I.B(2017). Traffic Management at Junctions along Taft Avenue
Using Graph Theory
 Anana, J.A.U., Calma, K.A, Flores, C.M., Tantoy, D.D., Abuzo, A.A., & Vallentene, J.Jr. (2015). A
Traffic Cingestion Study Unsignalized Intersection along Yacapin-Capt. Vicente Roa, Yacapin-
Osmena,J.R. Borja-Osmena streets in Cagayan de Oro City
 Regidor, J.R.F. (2013). TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN METRO MANILA: IS THE UVVRP STILL
EFFECTIVE?, Vol. 34, No. 1: 66-75
 BANIK, B.K., CHOWDHURY, A.I & SARKAR, S.K.A. (2009). Study of Traffic Congestion in Sylhet City
 Choose Philippines (2016,Febuary 25) Before EDSA became EDSA: The Four Names of Metro
Manila's Major Highway http://www.choosephilippines.com/do/history-and-culture/4067/edsa-four-
names
 Villar, M.B. (2017, October 30) Analyzing Metro Manila’s traffic problem
https://businessmirror.com.ph/analyzing-metro-manilas-traffic-problem/
 A bus waiting for its turn to get in the loading Street vendors occupying one lane for
and unloading area of SM North EDSA public vehicles

Merging of vehicles from North Avenue and Street vendors occupying one lane for
EDSA public vehicles

Commuters that are not on the loading and unloading Two lanes of the road occupied by
area urge to get on the bus barriers of the U-turn slot and vehicles
evading the barriers