Rush hour? Not on Coastal Road

In the Philippines, the words “rush hour” has always been a mystery. Why is it called such when your car can barely move once you step out of your office. It’s one of the greatest ironies in life.

With the mere mention of “rush hour,” one road comes to mind to Las Pineros–Coastal Road. Or the portion of the highway connecting it to Cavite.

“Tuloy po kayo sa bagong Bacoor,” says the billboard of Strike Revilla located along the parking lot, we mean, the highway. It’s just five or six lanes of mayhem.

Upon paying the toll, you are greeted with hundreds of cars in front of you. From around 6 p.m. to around 8 p.m. (sometimes until 9 p.m.!), the end of Coastal Road leading to Zapote is just packed. The bumper to bumper traffic is oftentimes caused by motorists going to Cavite who occupy the inner lanes (heading to Las Pinas) because they want to avoid the traffic that motorists also headed to Cavite had already caused in the outer lanes.

Traveling the less than 20-meter stretch of road takes about 20 to 30 minutes because of the vehicle build up.

And what are the Coastal Road tollway operators doing about this? None.

Alabang Bulletin got stuck there two nights in a row. We did not see even a shadow of one of the traffic police in Coastal in the area who are always quick when someone violates a traffic rule or when a car is stalled and they need to call the towing service where they get “allowances” for informing them of the car that needs to be towed.

We remember the toll operators answer to this situation a few years back–they put barriers so that when a car going to Cavite gets inside those barriers, they have no choice but to pass through Zapote and the traffic that is Imus and Bacoor. Maybe they should do this again. Or maybe someone should at least be there to direct those going to Cavite to just occupy the outer lanes.

The traffic there sucks. And everyone knows it. When will the shortcut to Cavite be done? Are they even constructing it? We see bulldozers and payloaders in the area but we don’t see workers.

Hopefully, the construction finishes soon.

It would be nice to come home from work early and without our legs experiencing cramps because of the traffic.

Hopefully.

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  1. chelrule says:

    Baka namilagruhan ulit ang budget pang expand ng Coastal Road (if there was any …)

  2. Armyofone says:

    The bulldozers and payloaders in the area is allocated for the construction of the new road which leads straight to Nasugbu, Batangas and passing by the areas of cavite para di na congested ang traffic along Aguinaldo Highway. What i cannot understand is the flyover that seems to have no progress whatsoever eversince the politicos have been questioning the integrity of the C5 extension project.

    The worsening traffic problem in the area is due to inferior road quality along that stretch and buses plying the route of going under the flyover of Longos. One thing I hate about governance in the south is the inconsistency.

  3. Mousy says:

    I don’t think the traffic in that area will ever change. If it ever does (happen) it wouldn’t feel like you are in the Philippines anymore. lol