Pasig ferry may help ease land traffic
Pasig ferry may help ease land traffic
Posted 01:06am (Mla time) Jan 28, 2005
By Neal Cruz
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the January 28, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
A LITTLE bit of good news in an otherwise bleak situation, like a ray of sunshine during a cloudy day, is the announcement that the government will revive the ferry service in the Pasig River, something that this column has long been urging. The ferry will greatly contribute to decongesting the streets of Metro Manila and shorten travel time from Manila to points east.
The Pasig River, as well as its tributaries and “esteros” [creeks], was a water highway for both passenger and cargo long before we were seduced by the land vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine. It is still a useful highway in the same way that Thailand and Australia are using their waterways (the floating markets of Thailand is a tourist attraction) for transportation.
A ferry service was attempted twice or thrice but all failed for a number of reasons: the water vessels fielded were small and low in the water so that passengers were scared to board them and, once aboard, they couldn't help but smell the stinking water. Besides, the view from the boat was depressing and revolting: the backyards of factories, long lines of squatter shanties along the banks with people defecating into the water, and piles of trash everywhere.
Because of the shallowness of the river, the low bridges spanning it, and the stink of the water, the ferryboats should be of shallow draft and should have air-conditioning to keep the smell out. The ferryboats of Disney World in Orlando, Florida, (not the double-deckers of the Hong Kong ferry) would make a good model. They are of shallow draft, just right for the shallow waters of the Pasig, and are air-conditioned with the front and back decks open for smokers.
But even with first-class boats, a ferry service might still fail if the passengers see the same depressing sights along the banks. Along with the ferry, the national government and the local government units should develop the right-of-way along the banks as roads, the same way Mayor Lito Atienza is developing the Manila riverbanks into river walks.
Our officials have traveled around the world enough to see how other countries have made use of their rivers. In Sydney, Australia, there is a ferry service from downtown along the river to the sea. Both banks have been transformed into streets. The most expensive houses line the river. You can watch a concert at the Sydney Opera House, take the ferry home at midnight, and be home in a few minutes.
In the United States, notably in San Antonio, Texas, and New Orleans, the riverbanks have been developed into entertainment and leisure spots. And in Europe, all the major rivers are tourist attractions with ferryboats taking tourists on river cruises. Any other country with a major river cutting through its main metropolis, like the Pasig bisecting Metro Manila, will not hesitate to develop it for tourism.
But the banks of our Pasig River can hardly be attractive to tourists. They are the ugly backyards of factories that dump their garbage and keep the equipment they want to hide there. Squatter shanties also line the banks like a festering sore.
We should develop the banks into streets all the way to Laguna Lake. The owners of lots along the river may even agree to donate part of their backyards to widen the streets. After all, the value of their properties will rise. Instead of just being their backyards, these properties will have another frontage.
And oh, the governments should also clear the undersides of bridges of squatters, otherwise ferryboats passing under will emerge with their roofs festooned with garbage, the same way railroad trains become like a garbage dump when they pass through a squatter colony.
Traveling by boat across the metropolis is much more relaxing and cooler than bearing the heat and dust cooped up in a jeepney or bus, inching through traffic. Before the Coastal Road to Cavite was constructed, there was a ferry service from Luneta to Cavite City that took workers to and from their homes and jobs. We used to take this ferry on late afternoons from Manila to Cavite and back just to relax, sipping cold beer on deck during the trip. The ferry was discontinued when the road was finished, but it is now so choked with traffic that the ferry service should be revived.
In fact, the Pasig River ferry should later be extended to Laguna Lake (and a boulevard built around the lake) to service the lakeshore towns.
Another project that I have repeatedly been urging is the use of both banks of the Tullahan-Tenejeros River from Manila Bay, through Malabon, to Valenzuela as streets. A flood control dike is planned for the whole stretch of the river. It is logical to turn the concrete tops of the dikes into roads to provide commuters with another highway besides the congested MacArthur Highway. That should stop squatters from building their shanties on the banks of the river, the factories from emptying their effluents into it, and people from throwing their garbage into the river and making it their own private cesspool. With roads lining the banks, the value of adjoining lots would appreciate as they would have another street frontage, and the local governments can collect more in real estate taxes.
Then another ferry service can connect Valenzuela and Malabon to Manila and the Pasig River and Cavite ferry services.
Posted 01:06am (Mla time) Jan 28, 2005
By Neal Cruz
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the January 28, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
A LITTLE bit of good news in an otherwise bleak situation, like a ray of sunshine during a cloudy day, is the announcement that the government will revive the ferry service in the Pasig River, something that this column has long been urging. The ferry will greatly contribute to decongesting the streets of Metro Manila and shorten travel time from Manila to points east.
The Pasig River, as well as its tributaries and “esteros” [creeks], was a water highway for both passenger and cargo long before we were seduced by the land vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine. It is still a useful highway in the same way that Thailand and Australia are using their waterways (the floating markets of Thailand is a tourist attraction) for transportation.
A ferry service was attempted twice or thrice but all failed for a number of reasons: the water vessels fielded were small and low in the water so that passengers were scared to board them and, once aboard, they couldn't help but smell the stinking water. Besides, the view from the boat was depressing and revolting: the backyards of factories, long lines of squatter shanties along the banks with people defecating into the water, and piles of trash everywhere.
Because of the shallowness of the river, the low bridges spanning it, and the stink of the water, the ferryboats should be of shallow draft and should have air-conditioning to keep the smell out. The ferryboats of Disney World in Orlando, Florida, (not the double-deckers of the Hong Kong ferry) would make a good model. They are of shallow draft, just right for the shallow waters of the Pasig, and are air-conditioned with the front and back decks open for smokers.
But even with first-class boats, a ferry service might still fail if the passengers see the same depressing sights along the banks. Along with the ferry, the national government and the local government units should develop the right-of-way along the banks as roads, the same way Mayor Lito Atienza is developing the Manila riverbanks into river walks.
Our officials have traveled around the world enough to see how other countries have made use of their rivers. In Sydney, Australia, there is a ferry service from downtown along the river to the sea. Both banks have been transformed into streets. The most expensive houses line the river. You can watch a concert at the Sydney Opera House, take the ferry home at midnight, and be home in a few minutes.
In the United States, notably in San Antonio, Texas, and New Orleans, the riverbanks have been developed into entertainment and leisure spots. And in Europe, all the major rivers are tourist attractions with ferryboats taking tourists on river cruises. Any other country with a major river cutting through its main metropolis, like the Pasig bisecting Metro Manila, will not hesitate to develop it for tourism.
But the banks of our Pasig River can hardly be attractive to tourists. They are the ugly backyards of factories that dump their garbage and keep the equipment they want to hide there. Squatter shanties also line the banks like a festering sore.
We should develop the banks into streets all the way to Laguna Lake. The owners of lots along the river may even agree to donate part of their backyards to widen the streets. After all, the value of their properties will rise. Instead of just being their backyards, these properties will have another frontage.
And oh, the governments should also clear the undersides of bridges of squatters, otherwise ferryboats passing under will emerge with their roofs festooned with garbage, the same way railroad trains become like a garbage dump when they pass through a squatter colony.
Traveling by boat across the metropolis is much more relaxing and cooler than bearing the heat and dust cooped up in a jeepney or bus, inching through traffic. Before the Coastal Road to Cavite was constructed, there was a ferry service from Luneta to Cavite City that took workers to and from their homes and jobs. We used to take this ferry on late afternoons from Manila to Cavite and back just to relax, sipping cold beer on deck during the trip. The ferry was discontinued when the road was finished, but it is now so choked with traffic that the ferry service should be revived.
In fact, the Pasig River ferry should later be extended to Laguna Lake (and a boulevard built around the lake) to service the lakeshore towns.
Another project that I have repeatedly been urging is the use of both banks of the Tullahan-Tenejeros River from Manila Bay, through Malabon, to Valenzuela as streets. A flood control dike is planned for the whole stretch of the river. It is logical to turn the concrete tops of the dikes into roads to provide commuters with another highway besides the congested MacArthur Highway. That should stop squatters from building their shanties on the banks of the river, the factories from emptying their effluents into it, and people from throwing their garbage into the river and making it their own private cesspool. With roads lining the banks, the value of adjoining lots would appreciate as they would have another street frontage, and the local governments can collect more in real estate taxes.
Then another ferry service can connect Valenzuela and Malabon to Manila and the Pasig River and Cavite ferry services.
posted by Dante at 1:06 AM
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