Giving Filipinos hope
Credit to Author: ROBERT SIY| Date: Fri, 24 May 2019 16:49:28 +0000
I am writing this column to pay tribute to a true friend of the Philippines, a person who has spent the last five years in the country to help improve the mobility of Filipinos. Dr. Gyeng Chul Kim, a Korean national, came to Manila in 2014 to serve as Policy and Planning advisor in the Department of Transportation. This week, he returns to Seoul after working tirelessly alongside many Filipino planners, policy makers and engineers, sharing his wisdom and experience in the areas of transport economics, public transport planning and urban design. It was an honor for me to work with him during this period.
As a public servant in the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) for over two decades, Dr. GC Kim helped to guide Seoul’s amazing mobility transformation. So, he came to the Philippines already with an impressive track record and wealth of experience. He also served from 2011-2014 as president of the Korea Transport Institute, responsible for crafting Korea’s long-term transportation vision and policies. In this column, I would like to share a few important messages and lessons from Dr. GC Kim.
In 2004, mobility in Seoul was like mobility in Metro Manila today
We should be optimistic. Just 15 years ago, the commuting experience in Seoul was as bad if not worse than what we experience today in Metro Manila. Buses driven recklessly, competing for passengers on the street; roads congested with cars and buses, all moving very slowly; trains packed like sardines. Gangnam Road, Seoul’s version of EDSA, was constantly gridlocked, with vehicles moving at less than 3 kilometers per hour. Yet, with the right policies and investments in human capital, management and infrastructure, Seoul was able to develop one of the best transportation systems in the world. The Philippines can do the same.
Move people, not cars
Like many other metropolitan areas, Seoul at the turn of the century was a very car-oriented city. With low quality public transport, the private automobile was the preferred mode of transport. Dr. Kim recounted that his wife, frustrated with using slow buses, begged him to buy a car. The trend towards greater car use was clearly unsustainable. Even with billions of dollars spent in Korea on new bridges, flyovers, and elevated highways, traffic was worsening each day. A breakthrough came when the transportation objective was changed to “moving people, not cars.” With this principle came several related directives.
Pedestrians come first
Under the earlier car-oriented planning paradigm, pedestrian welfare was sacrificed while private cars were prioritized. Pedestrian crosswalks were eliminated (or became elevated) so that car traffic could flow smoothly (without being interrupted by crossing pedestrians). This “car-first” policy was found to be insensitive, discriminatory and counter-productive (it pushed many pedestrians to opt for private car use). Elevated crosswalks required pedestrians to climb stairs and walk longer distances so that cars could go faster. This approach also excluded persons with disabilities and the elderly. Recognizing its mistake, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) eventually tore down hundreds of elevated crosswalks and restored ground-level pedestrian crossings.
Prioritize public transport so car owners leave their cars at home
Seoul invested in rail systems and bus rapid transit (BRT) to raise the quality, speed and reliability of public transport. The idea was to make public transport attractive so that car users would shift to trains and buses for their daily travel. Comfort, safety and convenience of passengers became important goals for transport planners. Public transportation should be as pleasant and enjoyable as possible; passengers should be able to use their travel time to rest, refresh or be productive. [In case you did not know, Dr. GC Kim was the “brains” behind the P2P bus services that many Filipinos patronize today.]
Rail and bus services working together provide the best service
To offer greatest convenience to the commuter, rail and bus services need to be well-integrated. We need to view the two travel modes as complementary rather than in competition with each other. In fact, on high volume corridors, having trains and buses along the same line provides the highest level of service. In Seoul, there are 10 major corridors where train lines and buses run in parallel. Passengers can transfer easily from trains to buses to get closer to their destinations (while being charged for a single journey using the same fare card). Two modes of mass transit on the same corridor also provide valuable redundancy in case one of the services breaks down.
Reform the bus industry business model and make all bus operators work as one team
A new business model was needed to replace the inefficient and uncoordinated bus industry. SMG held thousands of meetings with bus operators to craft a new approach for delivering bus services. Instead of collecting fares for their individual businesses, the Seoul bus operators agreed to a new system where all operators would work as a “one team” and share in a common revenue pool; each company’s income would be linked to the number of kilometers traveled by each bus company rather than to the number of passengers. All bus companies would be working to expand the total revenue collected rather than compete against each other. This new system, which eliminated on-street competition, enabled buses to be deployed to match the travel needs of the citizenry, with penalties and incentives linked to bus operator performance.
Because bus routes and schedules were centrally coordinated, bus services could be tailored to address special markets, such as the travel requirements of night shift workers. Where possible, buses were assigned dedicated lanes (no private cars allowed). Not surprisingly, the buses achieved fast and predictable travel times, operating almost like trains. Working together, the bus operators achieved increased incomes and greater ridership.
Use IT to drive change
Korea used its information technology (IT) expertise to the best advantage. Geographical positioning systems tracked the location and speed of buses; payment cards and mobile phones became the medium for cashless fare payment across all modes of transportation; real-time information on the schedules and routes of transport services were shared on mobile phones and through the internet; CCTV cameras were employed in the enforcement of traffic rules. These and other IT innovations contributed to improving the travel experience of commuters. It made public transport the preferred choice for moving around the city and for arriving on time. The Philippines can likewise leverage its strengths in IT.
Convert car space to inclusive public space
Healthy, happy citizens require lots of “green” public space—something than is sorely lacking in Philippine cities. Under Dr. Kim’s leadership, Seoul launched a campaign to transform spaces devoted to private cars (car lanes and car parking) into public “green” space. The beautiful public park in front of the Seoul City Hall was once a multi-lane roadway and car parking lot. One of Seoul’s jewels (and top tourist attraction) is the six-kilometer Cheong-Gye-Cheon Stream which runs through the heart of downtown Seoul; walking along its clear flowing water and lush greenery, it is difficult to imagine that the river was buried under two now-demolished major roads (one at ground level and one elevated) carrying 125,000 vehicles per day. And, throughout Seoul, car space was reduced (many streets converted from two-way to one-way to widen sidewalks and offer space for bicycle lanes.
It took a lot of public consultation and considerable political will to achieve the dramatic change in Seoul’s urban and mobility environment. Ironically, by taking away space from cars, traffic congestion in Seoul was reduced and mobility was improved for all.
Invest in people, policies and institutions
For Dr. GC Kim, sustainability relies on having adequate human capital. Korea’s success in mobility planning and management is, in part, due to the support and nurturing of expertise in the transportation field. At the Korea Transport Institute (KOTI), where Dr. GC Kim was a former president, there are over 80 staff with PhDs and over 200 staff with Masters degrees.
The Philippines will need to build a cadre of urban designers, planners and mobility experts to guide the transformation required in our transportation infrastructure and services. Transport specialists will be needed in national and local governments, in the private sector, and in academic institutions. Part of the “Build, Build, Build” program should invest in creating this capacity. The Philippines should also aim to create something like KOTI to house a stable, critical mass of transportation expertise.
Five zeroes
His parting message is the importance of setting high level objectives and to pursue them relentlessly. He coined the term “Five Zeroes” to capture the most important goals of transport planners in this century: (1) Zero Pollution/Greenhouse Gas Emissions; (2) Zero Road Crashes; (3) Zero Traffic Congestion; (4) Zero Private [C[Combustion-Engine]ehicle Use; and (5) Zero Unjust Mobility. These are all urgent areas for action—and the welfare of future generations depend on whether we succeed.
Thank you, Dr. GC Kim, for believing in the Philippines, for inspiring a new generation of Filipino transport planners, and for sharing your “secret sauce” for inclusive and sustainable mobility.
Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner, and public transport advocate. He can be reached at mobilitymatters.ph@yahoo.com or followed on Twitter @RobertRsiy
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