Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista wants more Filipinos to forego driving their cars and instead take public transport, never mind the sorry state of the latter.
In a recent transport forum, Bautista said the Department of Transportation is pushing for “transit-oriented development (TOD) infrastructure.”
“We aim to break Filipinos’ dependence on private cars for mobility,” he said. “We have to subscribe to TOD’s concept of creating walkable communities that reduce the need for driving and high energy consumption.”
Residents of urban centers, particularly Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, have been grappling with heavy road traffic due to congestion.
Bautista is counting on private sector money to push the agenda.
“These projects require massive funding. We have turned to the private sector for investment collaboration.”