Palafox says cable cars will benefit commuters, environment

MANILA: Urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. backed Senator Robin Padilla’s proposal to use cable cars as a solution to the traffic problems in Metro Manila.

“An aerial cable car system will not only help alleviate the traffic situation in Metro Manila and other urban centers in the Philippines — it will also boost security and benefit the environment,” Palafox stated.

Establishing such a system, which Palafox observed as a “global trend,” would, in his words, “future-proof” the country's major cities from the ongoing issue of traffic.

He added that cable cars can also help reduce crime as shown in areas where they are used, like in Medellin, Colombia. He claimed that relatively few criminals would commit crimes in places where lots of people are present.

The view from the cable cars can also help in providing quicker responses to emergencies like fires or violations of the law like illegal logging.

Palafox noted that the most significant benefit of the cable car system is the reduction of time that employees would spend commuting, citing studies that reveal employees in Metro Manila spend six to eight hours a day commuting to work.

Palafox also suggested that if the cable cars system is built along EDSA, its towers may become landmarks, and if the project gets approved, it could be completed in as fast as 18 months.

Last week, Sen. Padilla proposed the use of an aerial cable car system to help alleviate traffic congestion in Metro Manila, claiming that the concept had been studied and approved by the previous administration.

In 2016, the Former Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary proposed a 4.5-kilometer cable car system that will connect the cities of Marikina and Pasig, with stops in Quezon City and Pasig.

There were also proposals to use cable cars to link tourist destinations such as Boracay and Caticlan, Davao City and Samal, and Ilocos and Cordillera.

Photo from File

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