Issues and Challenges

• Challenges

  1. Congestion
  2. Safety
  3. Security
  4. Environment
  5. The Emergence of Global Health Concerns/Hazards
• Congestion- aside from rapid urbanization, there are also other reasons such as:

  • Increased number of vehicles
  • Inadequate transport infrastructure and services such as underdeveloped railway network and main roads which are poorly connected
  • Increased in transport demand
  • Problem on loading and unloading, or overstaying at non-designated areas.
• Port congestion happens when a vessel arriving at a port for the purpose of cargo or other operations is unable to dock and has to wait for a berth (space at a dock) to be available. It occurs due to various reasons. Some of the reasons are:

  • Port or terminal is booked more than its capacity
  • Delays caused by bad weather which results in vessels lining-up
  • Lack of port handling equipment
  • Slow productivity
  • Location of port
• There are costs incurred because of congestion and these are:

  Economic cost - the cost of extra fuel, reduce personal earnings, etc.

  Social cost - the reduced opportunity for leisure, reduced time with family, etc.
• To determine congestion in the landside, IATA proposed space-related standards used to measure the passenger capacity. NAIA Terminal 1 has an area of 67,000 sq. meters (smallest among the 3 terminals). It was completed in 1981 with a design capacity of 4.5M passengers per year. It reached capacity in 1991 with a record of 4.53M. In 2014 the terminal is renovated to accommodate 6M.
• Safety

  • One of the more disturbing by-products of transportation is injury and loss of life. This is particularly applicable to land transportation. 
  • In Metro Manila, there is a total of 121,771 reported incidents in 2019 with 372 fatalities and 20,466 injured.
• Safety

  There 3 major causes of accidents:

  1. Human errors such as intoxicated drivers, driver error, health reasons, fatigue, etc.
  2. Vehicle defect
  3. Other reasons like road work, slippery road, run over an object, etc.
• Possible Solutions to Safety

  • Changing road user behavior (imposing speed limits, seat belt use, motorcycle helmet use, etc.). The Philippines has a wide range of generally well-developed regulations governing the transport sector. However, the implementation of these regulations is weak, which significantly limits the intended positive impact of these regulations on performance.
  • Strong of enforcement
• Possible Solutions to Safety

  • Sufficient attention should be given to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. More than half of all road traffic deaths are among these vulnerable road users. The focus should be on providing transport infrastructures and facilities to ensure a safe journey.
  • Make vehicles safer by ensuring that the standards and regulations are met, implemented, and followed.
• Security

  Trains and buses were becoming highly attractive targets for terrorists. 

  • 2004: Madrid train bombings killed 193 people and injured 2,050. 
  • 2005: London bombings involving 3 trains and upper deck of a bus, which killed 56 people and injured 700 
  • 2010: Rizal Day bombings killing 22 people. A series of bombings in LRT Blumentritt station and a bus en route to Cubao.
• Security

  The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 shook the airline industry. No industry or sector of the economy felt the impacts of these events more than the airline industry. Both the immediate reaction to the attacks and the long-term repercussions have negatively affected the industry. Because of this, strict security measures were implemented in the different airports around the world such as baggage screening, prohibited items, liquids rule, etc. 
• Security

  Aside from terrorism, there are other security risks such as serious crimes that happen in both land and water transportation. Though the incidents in water transport are lower or rare compared to land transport.
• Environment

  • Burning fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which is causing the earth's atmosphere to warm resulting in changes to the climate.
  • The main source of energy used in the transportation sector is petroleum products which include diesel fuel and gasoline.
  • Transport accounts for 75% of all emissions by the tourism sector with road transport making up about 32% of all tourism emissions.
• Possible Solutions for Environment

  • Use more fuel-efficient vehicles or hybrid  (a combination of fuels and electricity) vehicles
  • Use of alternative fuels such as biofuel (produced from plants or agricultural wastes)
  • Modal shift from road transport to rail, public or mass transport system, and non-motorized transport such as walking or cycling)
• The emergence of global health concerns/hazards

  • Diseases spread more rapidly due to travel, particularly through international aviation.
  • Fear of disease reduces travel demand.
  • Diseases that affect tourism in the previous years are SARS, MERS-CoV, Zika, etc.
  • In many countries, governments imposed “lockdown” to restrict the movements of their citizens and to control the rapid spread of the pandemic.
  • The transportation sector has been one of the primary victims of COVID-19.