But did you know friends that along Quiapo Boulevard,on the side of Quiapo Church are rows and rows of motorcycles every Friday? I was told that the cyclists pray there everyday for a safe journey everyday.
Why am I so het up about this separate lane for cyclists? Why because my own sister, Evangeline died in a motorcycle accident way back 1977. She was riding at the back with her husband driving at 3 a.m. when a jeepney owned by a business person sideswiped her. Her body got slammed on the sidewalk and the doctors said that even if she would be revived she would lived a vegetable life.
Since then I have cursed cycling in the streets because there has not been any body protection for them. Hopefully the new road procedure would bring about a safer street for them.
Yet, this is just one of the woes of using the roads in MetroManila. Pedestrians suffer a lot more. I have been commuting and using the sidewalks since this new millennium when the gas prices started skyrocketing. What have I discovered?
1. Along Katipunan, corner Aurora Boulev
ard is a one foot pedestrian sidewalk;
2. Along the streets of MetroManila are many sidewalks unevenly paved;
3. Vehicles are parked along them so that you have to walk through the street opening yourself to accident in order to reach your destination;
4. There are many road projects which are done almost yearly. One road I know used to be paved very well, but every year it is overhauled. First year, the MWSS opens the pipes then cements it. The next year, the DPWH digs the same place and lays down new pipes; the third year, the MM
DA digs some more and widens the street.This is why along Kamuning road in QC, you will find sidewalks that are two feet wide.
5. Along EDSA, at corner Ortigas, when you get off from the EDSA bus, you come into a sidewalk that is barred on left and right and that you cannot go to the other side of Ortigas unless you climb up the steel staircase.
It seems that during the heyday of BFernando, he gloated over seeing steel overpasses all over MetroManila regardless of whether the pedestrians and commuters were inconvenienced or not.
I could cite many more but what does this say of the government's treatment of pedestrians and commuters? We are the last in their priorities.
By the way, I would say, as a pedestrian, I would like to experience shady trees along the way and possibly breathe fresh air. Unfortunately, it is only when passing by the Quezon Institute, along E. Rodriguez that I experience that. You see the QI has a broad expanse of green on its frontage. Its buildings are located about nearly a kilometer away, probably to screen off the breath of the tubercular patients in its hospital.
Lately, the lot was bought by a developer. I wonder if the same fresh air would still waft the atmosphere. I hope so, after all these developments are pushed through.
One development I rue very much is this: I used to look at the skies every 6pm to watch how they change colors as the sun sets. The scenery is always breathtaking Folks especially when the Welcome Rotonda pillars are in silhouette and the skies turn orange,pink, blue and green. But then, one time, while looking back, the other day, I saw that the skies were nowhere to be found. Instead I saw big rectangular blocks and the Welcome Rotonda sign could not be seen anymore; this is from the E. Rodriguez avenue going towards Cubao.
What are these blocks but the SM residences being built very near the Rotonda.Sometime last year, I complained to the staff of Mayor Alfredo Lim that the monument which is the welcoming sign to Quezon City should not be covered by any structure and should be at least 1,000 meters away. Unfortunately, my letter seems to have fallen on deaf ears. The residences are being built without any regard on how the landmark was going to look like afterwards.
What are landmarks? They are structures in our cities and rural sites that make us feel proud of our identity as members of the Filipino race. Built to enhance cityscapes, they give identity to our places in contrast with foreign places. They also remind us that we all belong to one another, that we have a common history, culture, language, and civilization. Rizal, Bonifacio, Ninoy and Gabriela's monuments give us the feeling that they are responsible for the country's independence and redirection to democratic rule. But this does not seem to be the idea behind the constructions going on in our midst.
Maybe the architects and civil engineers of the country should get together and have a thorough discussion, and ask themselves: what is our ultimate goal in our country?
I hope that their answers would be reflective of aesthetic, humane and culturally aware perspectives and considerations.
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