Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007

ASSESSING THE COSTS OF THE PEDESTRIANIZATION OF AVENIDA IN THE CITY OF

Konstantine KOH Crispin Emmanuel DIAZ Associate Consultant Associate Professor Transportas Consulting School of Urban and Regional Planning Sikatuna Village, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City Fax: +632-921-7775 Philippines E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +632-929-1637 E-mail: [email protected]

Hussein LIDASAN Associate Professor School of Urban and Regional Planning University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City Philippines Fax: +632-929-1637 E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: In 2003, as part of the City of Manila’s urban renewal program, a section of , which is a major national arterial road, was pedestrianized, thereby closing the road to vehicular traffic. Because of this, vehicles that were originally traveling along this road section were diverted to the adjacent local streets which do not have enough capacity to handle heavy traffic volumes. Coupled with heavy volumes of pedestrians and high roadside friction in the downtown area, this resulted in massive congestion and travel delays. Commuters have also suffered with the increase in in-vehicle and out-of-vehicle travel time. On the part of the drivers, the re-routing meant longer travel distances, hence additional fuel consumption, but without a corresponding increase in fares. This paper attempts to estimate these costs brought about by the project to gain an understanding of its impact on society.

Key Words: pedestrianization, economic costs, Manila streets.

1. INTRODUCTION

In 2003, as part of the City of Manila’s urban renewal program, a section of Rizal Avenue was pedestrianized, thereby closing the road to vehicular traffic. The portion that was pedestrianized was from CM Recto to Carriedo, which is one of the major road sections of the downtown Manila area. As mentioned in the media, one of the main objectives for the project was “to bring businesses back along Avenida by making it a haven for shoppers and people on a stroll”. It hopes to revive the Golden Era of the area when major cinemas and businesses lined up both flanks of the road, before urban decay brought about by poor maintenance and property management took over the area.

Historically, Rizal Avenue, or more commonly known as Avenida, has been one of the major roads of going all the way back to the Spanish era. It connects the , , Navotas and Valenzuela (CAMANAVA) area in the north to Manila’s downtown core (Sta. Cruz, and Intramuros), as well as Pasay City in the south. The first light rail transit in the Philippines, LRT-1, was built along Rizal Avenue, underlying its importance Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007 in the overall road network in Metro Manila. Under the categories of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), it is classified as one of the radial roads (R-9).

2. THE PEDESTRIANIZATION OF AVENIDA

Unlike other pedestrianization projects in the city, this project involved the closing of a national road which is one of the busiest thoroughfares in Metro Manila. The previous pedestrianization projects in Manila like Carriedo, Muelle del Rio, Muelle del Banco Nacional, and R. Papa were smaller local roads or waterfronts that did not have the same heavy traffic volumes such as in Avenida. In fact, an issue was raised by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) about the legality of the implementation of such project, claiming that local governments do not have an authority over national roads.

Figure 1 Location map of Avenida Pedestrianization Project and surrounding areas

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007

Because of the closure of Avenida, vehicles that are normally traveling along this road section have been diverted to the many narrow local streets in the area. For the jeepneys, a re-routing scheme was put in place, wherein the northbound and southbound vehicles now run on separate one-way local roads (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 Re-routing plan after the pedestrianization of Avenida

3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

One major effect that the Avenida Pedestrianization project has brought to the area is massive traffic congestion, which was mainly brought about by the decrease of road space available for vehicular movement. The distance of the Avenida road section between Recto and Carriedo that was closed off to traffic is about half a kilometer. Aside from Avenida, the Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007 project also effectively closed off the perpendicular streets immediately adjacent to Avenida since they had become dead ends at the junction of Avenida. Adding all these distances up brings a total of about 1.2 km of road space that cannot be utilized for normal vehicular circulation anymore.

This reduction of road space resulted in a sharp increase of vehicles to the adjacent local roads, which, in the first place, weren’t designed to handle such heavy traffic volumes. They don’t have enough capacity to absorb this traffic, with most of the local roads in the area being one-way, two lane streets. While most of the local roads in the area have sufficient carriageway widths for two-lane traffic, the effective or clear carriageway width is reduced by road-side parking, sidewalk vendors, and scattered garbage present in almost all streets. Many of the sidewalks are also being used as extension of the commercial establishments, with merchandise on display and for sale at the sidewalks. This then pushes the pedestrians into the streets which further increases the road-side friction. The high volume of bicycles/pedicabs plying in these streets also reduces the effective capacity of the roads.

This paper attempts to present a preliminary assessment of the costs brought about the Avenida pedestrianization, specifically with regards to transportation. This deals with the costs of travel time delay and additional fuel consumption. A brief discussion of the other economic costs that can be attributed to the Avenida pedestrianization project is also outlined. As this paper is an initial foray into the subject matter, most of the data needed for analysis are not readily available. As such, some of the data used were culled from various secondary information sources, including commissioned studies and government reports.

4. CONGESTION EFFECTS

Table 1 below shows the survey results of traffic counts conducted at different streets within the Sta. Cruz area on March 2007. Table 1 Comparative daily traffic volumes of streets in downtown Manila1 No. Daily Width Road name Road Section Direction of Volume (in m.) lanes (in pcu) CM Recto Between Avenida and Mapua Eastbound 9.6 3 22,396 CM Recto Between T. Mapua and T. Alonzo Westbound 10.6 3 12,467 T. Mapua Between D. Jose and Recto Soutbound 9.2 3 10,371 T. Mapua Between Recto and Ongpin Soutbound 6.2 2 13,243 T. Alonzo Between D. Jose and Recto Northbound 5.9 2 3,695 T. Alonzo Between D. Jose and Recto Soutbound 5.9 2 4,078 T. Alonzo Between Recto and Ongpin Northbound 3.6 1 3,152 Plaza Sta. Cruz Between Ongpin and Dimasalang Westbound 17.5 5 14,632 Plaza Sta. Cruz Between Ongpin and Dimasalang Eastbound 15.2 5 14,430 F. Torres Between CM Recto and Soler Northbound 7.1 2 9,019 Evangelista Between Recto and Raon Northbound 8.1 2 5,558 Soler Between T. Alonzo and T. Mapua Westbound 10.2 2 3,049 Ongpin Between T. Mapua and Raon Eastbound 6.6 2 11,307 Estero Cegado Between C. Palanca and Carriedo Northbound 7.0 2 4,687 1 – All counts were conducted on a typical weekday, for a period of 14 hours (6am to 8pm)

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007

Because of this congestion, vehicles travel at slower speeds, and hence, delays experienced by the motorists are very prevalent in the area. These delays are further compounded by the many bottlenecks along the way caused by loading/unloading passengers, crossing pedestrians and other road-side friction. Before the pedestrianization of Avenida, it takes about 3-5 minutes to reach from the corner of Avenida and Doroteo Jose to Plaza Sta. Cruz and vice versa . After the pedestrianization, the average time it takes to get from Doroteo Jose to Plaza Sta. Cruz using T. Mapua is about 13-15 minutes going southbound, and about 10-12 minutes going northbound if using F. Torres, and 18-20 minutes if using Evangelista . Along CM Recto, pre-pedestrianization, it takes about 5-7 minutes to cover the stretch between T. Alonzo and Evangelista. Post-pedestrianization, it takes about 3-5 minutes more.

Table 2 Travel times and average delays per corridor (units in minutes) Range of travel Range of travel Ave. Time Corridor times before times after Delay pedestrianization pedestrianization Along CM Recto 5-7 8-12 5 Along T. Mapua 3-5 13-15 10 Along F. Torres 3-5 10-12 7 Along Evangelista 3-5 18-20 15 Along T. Alonzo 3-5 13-15 10 Source: Various travel time studies

5. COST OF DELAYS

To estimate the costs of delays, the value-of-time (V.O.T.) computation shall be applied. Shown in Table 3 below are the value-of-time costs for each mode obtained from the 1998 Metro Manila Urban Transport Improvement Project (MMUTRIP) Study. The 2007 figures were converted from the 1998 rates using an assumed escalation rate of 8%. Work-work trips range from as low as Php 81.96 per hour to as high as Php 103.95 per hour. The value of non- work trips is assumed to be 50% of the value of work-to-work trips. Also obtained from the MMUTRIP Report is the percentage distribution between work trips and non-work trips for each mode (Table 4).

Table 3 Value-of-Time costs per mode (units in Php/hour/person) Work-work trips Non-work trips Mode V.O.T. (1998) V.O.T. (2007) V.O.T. (1998) V.O.T. (2007) Cars & Taxis 52.00 103.95 26.00 51.97 AUV* 48.00 95.95 24.00 47.98 PUJ 41.00 81.96 20.50 40.98 Delivery Vehicles 41.00 81.96 20.50 40.98 Note: 1998 figures are obtained from MMUTRIP. 2007 figures are computed using 8% escalation rate. * There was no AUV in the MMUTRIP Study. However, there was a value of time assigned for the “predecessor” of the AUV’s, which is the high-occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Taxis, and this is the value used for the computation.

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007

Table 4 Percentage distribution of work-work trips and non-work trips for each mode Mode Work-work trips Non-work trips TOTAL Cars & Taxis 12% 88% 100% AUV* 19% 81% 100% PUJ 5% 95% 100% Delivery Vehicles 26% 74% 100%

It should be noted that the MMUTRIP Report does not have V.O.T. values for motorcycles, bicycles and other forms of cycles (tricycles, pedicabs, motorized pedicabs, etc.), which are prevalent in the Study Area. For purposes of this study, it is assumed that the difference in delays—and hence value-of-time—before and after the pedestrianization are negligible for these cycle modes, since cycle modes can easily maneuver in and out of the road space, and enter into the different side streets in the area, and thus control their travel times.

The values for the value of time presented above are for a per-person basis. To get the value for all the road users, the value-of-time would be multiplied by the average occupancy per mode. Shown in Table 5 below are the occupancy rates to be used in the calculations. The occupancy rate for the AUV’s and PUJ’s were obtained from the Boarding-Alighting Surveys conducted for the recently concluded JICA-commissioned Mega-Manila Public Transport Study (MMPTS). These occupancy ratings are the averages of the PUV’s passing through the area. The occupancy rate for the cars and delivery vehicles are assumed based on various available secondary data.

Table 5 Passenger occupancy per mode Mode Occupancy Cars + Taxis 1.5 AUV 5 PUJ 12 Delivery Vehicles 2

In the absence of data regarding the origin-destination patterns specific for the study area, the major assumption used in the analysis is that the vehicles that are currently using road space are also the same vehicles which were using the road space before the Avenida pedestrianization. Vehicles which were previously using the road space before the pedestrianization, but now are not using the roads in the study area are now then excluded from the analysis. The analysis of the delays will be on a per-corridor basis, and the corridors that were chosen are those along the north-south axis (except for CM Recto), on the assumption that these were the routes to which the vehicles were diverted from Avenida. Roads along the east-west axis were also not included to avoid double-counting, since it is assumed that the traffic from these north-south roads will eventually end up in any of the east- west roads.

Shown in Table 6 below are the volumes of the vehicles along the selected corridors. For purposes of this analysis, only the four most common modes were chosen. Buses were not included, since there are no buses which are supposed to run along these corridors. “Others” vehicles were also excluded since the range of their vehicle types vary widely to make a standardized value for them. Furthermore, the MMUTRIP Report does not have values for Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007

“Others” and “Cycles” classifications.

Table 6 Breakdown of vehicle volumes per corridor Cars Delivery Corridor name AUV’s PUJ’s Total + Taxis Vehicles* Along CM Recto 8,109 103 14,057 894 23,163 Along T. Mapua 2,471 44 5,513 505 8,533 Along F. Torres 2,595 33 3,385 283 6,296 Along Evangelista 1,817 23 1,620 220 3,680 Along T. Alonzo 3,432 127 1,318 496 5,373 Note: Delivery vehicles include both light goods vehicles and trucks.

The formula to be used in computing for the cost of time for work trips per corridor is shown in equation (1), while for the formula for the non-work trips is shown in equation (2).

Total COTw,x = ∑ Delayx x Volumem,x x Workm x VOTw,m x Occm all m (1)

Total COTnw,x = ∑ Delayx x Volumem,x x NWorkm x VOTnw,m x Occm all m (2)

Where, Total COTw,x = Total value of time for work trips in corridor x Delayx = Average delay of a vehicle along corridor x Vo l u me m,x = Volume of mode m along corridor x Work m = Percentage share of work trips for mode m NWorkm = Percentage share of non-work trips for mode m VOTw,m = Value of time for work trips for mode m Occm = Occupancy of mode m

Using these formulae, the computed costs of time per corridor are shown below in Table 7. The aggregated results are presented in Table 8.

Table 7 Daily time costs per corridor per mode (values in Php) Cars & Taxis AUV’s PUJ’s Delivery Vehicles Corridor W NW W NW W NW W NW CM Recto 12,644 46,360 494 1,668 138,252 547,248 1,465 4,518 T. Mapua 7,706 28,254 668 1,425 45,184 429,249 3,587 5,105 F. Torres 5,665 20,770 351 748 19,420 184,492 1,407 2,002 Evangelista 8,499 31,164 524 1,117 19,916 189,203 2,344 3,336 T. Alonzo 10,703 39,243 1,929 4,113 10,802 102,621 3,523 5,014 Note: W = Work trips; NW = non-work trips

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007

Table 8 Daily total time costs per corridor (values in Php) Corridor name Work trips Non-work trips TOTAL CM Recto 152,855 599,794 752,650 T. Mapua 57,145 464,033 521,178 F. Torres 26,843 208,013 234,856 Evangelista 31,284 224,820 256,104 T. Alonzo 26,957 150,990 177,947 TOTAL 295,085 1,647,650 1,942,735

Based on the computations, the total costs of the delays related to the passenger’s value-of- time amounts to roughly Php 1.94M daily. The above figures can be still considered as a conservative estimate, since this just takes into consideration only the five corridors mentioned above which are within the primary impact area. It does not take into consideration the delays experienced by vehicles in the secondary impact areas like Divisoria, Quiapo and Binondo, which do not necessarily pass through the primary impact area, but are nonetheless affected because of the ripple effects of congestion. The above computation also does not take into consideration the out-of-vehicle travel time that also increased due to the rerouting. The increase in out-of-vehicle time is mainly attributed to longer walking distances to/from unloading/loading spots, parking areas, destination points and LRT stations.

6. INCREASE IN FUEL CONSUMPTION

On the part of the jeepney drivers, the rerouting of the traffic also entailed additional costs in terms of fuel consumption since they now travel longer travel distances. However, their fares have not been adjusted accordingly by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), since there was no coordination done by the City of Manila or the transport associations with LTFRB when the rerouting scheme was implemented. So what is happening is that the jeepneys are incurring additional fuel costs without corresponding additional revenues.

Shown in Table 9 below are the comparative distances of specific legs of the jeepney routes within the Study Area before and after the pedestrianization. These distances are measured at the points where the routes diverge, and where they converge again. For the routes formerly passing by Avenida, the diverging point in the southbound direction is at the intersection of Doroteo Jose and Avenida, and the converging point is at Plaza Sta. Cruz. Going northbound, there are two alternative routes. One is via F. Torres, and the other is via Evangelista. For both routes, the diverging point is MacArthur Bridge/, while the converging point is at the intersection of Avenida and CM Recto.

Table 9 Comparative distances of PUJ route sections before and after pedestrianization (units in km) Route leg Before After Remarks Difference From D. Jose to MacArthur Bridge 1.02 1.12 Via T. Mapua 0.10 From MacArthur Bridge to D. Jose 0.93 1.09 Via F. Torres 0.16 1.35 Via Evangelista 0.41 From Fugoso to Recto 0.45 0.71 Via T. Alonzo 0.26 Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007

Based on the results of the driver’s interviews for the MMPTS, the average fuel consumption for jeepneys is around 0.20 liters for every kilometer, and the average cost of diesel is Php 31 per liter. Using these figures, the additional fuel costs to the jeepneys passing through the area are estimated. These are shown in Table 10 below.

Table 10 Additional daily fuel costs to PUJ’s due to rerouting Volume of Total Add’l. Difference Add’l. Add’l. PUJ’s Daily Fuel Route leg in Distance Fuel Fuel Cost (in Costs (in km) (in liters) (in Php) vehicles) (in Php) From D. Jose to MacArthur Bridge 0.10 0.02 0.63 5,513 3,473 From MacArthur Bridge to D. Jose 0.16 0.03 0.97 3,385 3,283 0.41 0.08 2.56 1,620 4,147 From Fugoso to Recto 0.26 0.05 1.59 609 968 TOTAL 11,127 11,857

Based on the computations, the total increase in daily fuel costs to the PUJ’s is Php 11,857. Again, this can be considered as a conservative estimate since the fuel consumption ratio of 0.20 liters per kilometer may actually increase given that the many delays along the route make the PUJ’s consume more fuel per kilometer. There also other vehicle operating costs that might have also increased because of the rerouting. This would include the additional repairs and maintenance costs because of the additional wear and tear of the vehicle. The additional vehicular operating costs for the jeepneys along CM Recto, as well as the private cars passing through the area, are also not yet considered here, so essentially the actual additional daily vehicle operating costs brought about by the rerouting will be considerably more than the initially estimated Php11,857.

7. OTHER ECONOMIC COSTS

There are other costs that can still be attributed to the pedestrianization of Avenida, but because of the lack of data at the present time, they cannot be estimated accurately. Some of these costs are:

7.1 Costs of poor business atmosphere

Many of the business establishments in the area are shops which deal in hardware, electronics, furniture and other building industry-related products. These shops require vehicle access and sufficient parking spaces to transport the merchandise. Because of the congestion in the area, shop owners find it difficult to deliver the goods in and out of their shops, while the customers have a hard time accessing the shops and finding sufficient parking spaces. This results in a very poor business atmosphere, which can turn off prospective customers or clients.

Along the Avenida corridor, some of the establishments located there have also suffered because vehicles have poor access to them. Some of the shops along Avenida deal with electronic appliances which also require vehicular access to transport the goods. Because of the closing of Avenida, the vehicles have to go on circuitous route just to be able to access the Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007 shop. With the closing of Avenida, some of the shops have also suffered from low opportunities of walk-in customers.

The economic activity in this area that was hoped to be revived is not yet realized, as many of the original businesses along this road section have since closed down, and have given way to smaller, low-earning stalls. There are also some buildings which have been totally vacated, or even torn down. While there have been some new medium-scale shops which have set up here, the number of declining and abandoned commercial spaces is still significant compared with the existing ones.

One way to estimate the costs attributed to poor business atmosphere is to gather selective samples of sales performance of the shops before and after the pedestrianization. Interviews with the shop owners and customers themselves can also reveal valuable data on the different impacts of the pedestrianization project in terms of business performance.

7.2 Property devaluation costs

With the increased congestion, businesses and potential residents would think twice about locating in the place because of the poor access, difficulty in parking and substandard environment conditions. The presence of “seedy” characters also further deteriorates the property values within the area. The high incidence of businesses closing down along Avenida, as well as the low occupancy rates of the residential buildings, is an indication of this poor location value. Based on this, one can surmise that the value of the properties in the area has somehow devaluated.

One way to estimate these costs is to get information on sale, lease and occupancy rates before and after the pedestrianization. A stated preference survey with the residents and some real estate brokers can also be conducted to obtain detailed information about the value of the different property within the area.

7.3 Health-related costs

Aside from the worsening traffic situation, the residents in the area have likewise complained of the additional noise and pollution brought about by the diversion of the traffic to the interior roads. They even commented increased stress in walking because of the constant conflicts with motor vehicles. One way to estimate these costs is to get information on health- related costs before and after the pedestrianization. These health-related costs can include mortality rates, hospital admissions, doctor consultations, and sale of medicines. This information can then be supplemented by interviews with the residents, asking them as to whether there had been a change in their health since the Avenida pedestrianization.

7.4 Administration and institutional costs

As part of the rerouting scheme, the City deployed traffic enforcers at critical intersections to guide and enforce the rerouting scheme. The City has also placed signages and other traffic devices directing the motorists where to go. Also, it has been learned that the City Traffic Management Group is currently preparing a traffic management plan to somehow ease the congestion in the area. All of these would entail some sort of cost, like wages, construction and materials costs, as well as time spent in preparing the plan.

Proceedings of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol.6, 2007

8. CONCLUSION

This paper had attempted to take a first step to quantify the different economic costs brought about by the Avenida pedestrianization project. Based on the initial evaluation, the costs amount to around Php 1.95M daily. This just includes value of time costs and additional fuel consumption costs of the immediate road users, and has not yet incorporated the costs of the road users in the secondary impact areas. Other related costs such as poor business atmosphere costs, property devaluation costs, health-related costs, and administration costs have not yet been inputted, and should increase the initial estimated total costs more.

Hopefully, these initial calculations can serve as valuable inputs to a more comprehensive evaluation of the project, this time including the other side of the equation—the economic benefits. With these data, we can fully evaluate the project’s worthiness, where it had succeeded and where it had failed. From there, we can pick up lessons about the project and subsequently, we will be able to plan future pedestrianization projects better.

REFERENCES

Goodwin, Phil. (2004) The Economic Costs Of Road Traffic Congestion [online]. Available from: http://eprints.ucl.ac.uk/archive/00001259/01/2004_25.pdf. [Accessed 13 April 2007] JICA. (2007) Mega Manila Public Transport Study Draft Final Report. JICA. (1999) Metro Manila Urban Transportation Integration Study (MMUTIS) Final Report. JICA. (1998) Metro Manila Urban Transport Improvement Project (MMUTRIP) Final Report: Volume 1. Mateo-Babiano, I. (2001) The Study on Effective Urban Downtown Pedestrian Streets in Metro Manila, Master’s Thesis, School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Philippines. Mateo-Babiano, I. and Ieda, H. (2005). Street Space Renaissance: A Spatio-Historical Survey Of Two Asian Cities, Journal of the Eastern Asia Society for Transportation Studies, Vol. 6, pp. 4317 – 4332. Weisbrod, G., Vary, D. and Treyz, G.. (2002) Measuring the Economic Costs of Urban Traffic Congestion to Business [online]. Available from: www.edrgroup.com/pages/pdf/Congestion-Weisbrod-TRB2003.pdf. [Accessed 13 April 2007] World Bank. Valuing the Health Effects of Air Pollution [online]. Available from: www.worldbank.org/html/dec/decnotes/DECnts/decnt007.pdf. [Accessed 13 April 2007]