Assessment of Practicum Program

They say that nothing beats experience; so I wanted my last OJT to be worthwhile.

On-the-job training gives us a taste of the real worlda glimpse of what lies ahead after we

graduate. Id love to share what I learned from my on-the-job training experience, from a few

tricks of the trade and bittersweet lessons, to the life principles we can live by.

Looking for intern wasnt easy, there were only limited companies that are accepting

trainees. A week of OJT hunting and google searching, trying to find a company which best

suitable for me. I even landed to Makati, Ortigas, Cubao, and Balintawak looking for an intern

position. Tough it may seem, walking for hours, paying for grab cars and waiting to be called,

but I already stated, I want to make the best out of my 300 hours. I already have two phone

calls from companies in Makati and Ortigas, they texted the extent of work and confirmed

the allowances. I was little bit disappointed that the line of work will only circle around the

office. Until a close friend of mine, suggested UP NCTS.

National Center for Transportation Studies (NCTS) is located inside the UP Campus.

Being so excited and all, I tried looking for it in Google Maps satellite view and I knew from

myself that I was there a year ago. Our organization, PUP Aggregates, once held a photoshoot

in UP Diliman; being a visitor, I am completely unaware where the restrooms are; until we

landed to NCTS. That time I wasnt looking for OJT but a restroom; thanks to the guard for

letting us in. Then I asked myself Why not give it a try? It was suggested to me anyway.

The next day, me and my classmate decided to pass our credentials to UP NCTS.

Shocked, we were accepted right away and I was even more surprised learning that 1/3 of

our section was there too. Solid! We were first introduced to Sir Ernesto Abaya and later on

introduced to other key personnel. There are 5 departments and each department has 80

hours before you can shift to other departments. I was first assigned at the Training Group

together with Christian, Joshua 1 and Joshua 2. Since then, we were a team and we were

together in the whole cycle.

 Training Group is the department where action happens and is led by Engr. Sheila Flor D.

Javier. She discusses different Traffic Surveys and instructed us how to do them. This traffic

surveys has nothing to do with elementary surveying, higher surveying, route surveying and not

even survey questionnaires. I had met this word when we were interviewed in a company at Ortigas

and none of us known such. Next time I will be interviewed, Im pretty sure I can enumerate these

surveys.

Day by day we were taught different traffic surveys. First was Traffic Volume Count at

Roces-Osmena Intersection. Volume count is simply counting the number of vehicles per category.

We used Manual Method whereas data are recorded in a tally sheet for 3 hours. We were split into

different approaches. Mine was along Roces with the direction Palma Hall to Engineering

Building. The data can be recorded with a tick mark on a pre-prepared field form. A watch or

stopwatch is necessary to measure the count interval of 15 minutes. Volume count is necessary to

determine the peak hour at a given location.

Followed by Travel Time and Delay Survey of UP Ikot Jeepneys; this survey requires

GPS and a tally sheet. TTD Survey must be done in peak hours and the number of runs depends

on the traffic volume and the desired level of confidence. We are split into pairs, one will mark

using the GPS and one will record. Using GPS we can mark a point and it will record a waypoint

with its corresponding time and location. You will mark when a jeep passes an intersection, when

it stops and when it go. The recorder on the other hand will record why it stopped and its

corresponding waypoint. Using the data from the GPS, we can now calculate the total travel time,

running time and travel time delay.

Next was Boarding and Alighting Survey of UP Ikot Jeepneys, this survey also requires

a GPS and a tally sheet. BA Survey must be done in Peak hours to determine where people boarded

and alighted most. In UP Diliman, waiting sheds are placed right after or before an intersection;

and this survey is done to countercheck if the Waiting Shed are placed correctly. Results shown

that most people boards and alights on the waiting sheds.

 Another was Intersection and Delay Survey along Roces-Osmena Intersection

whereas this survey requires a stopwatch and a tally sheet. We are assigned in different approaches

and each of us should measure the number of vehicles stopped and go for every 15 minute count

interval. This survey allows us to determine the Level of Service of the Intersection and the delay

cost. Level of Service is categorized from A (traffic is flowing freely) to F (congested traffic)

Results showed that the Level of service in the Roces-Osmena Intersection is B.

Lastly Spot Speed Survey along University Avenue; this survey requires a stop watch,

flag and a tally sheet. The University has a maximum speed limit of 30 kph (Transportation and

Traffic Management Plan for the University of the Philippines-Diliman Campus, 2008). This

survey is done to record whether the vehicles inside UP Campus are following this maximum

speed limit. We used the trap length method in which you will record the time it takes for a vehicle

to pass a certain length of the road. For this survey, a length of 50m is marked on the curb of the

road. Using a stop watch, the time the vehicles takes to travel 50 meter length is recorded. Results

showed that the speed of the vehicles passing through the avenue ranges from 40 to 30 kph.

Equipment such as Pneumatic tube, Sound level meter and breath analyzer were also demonstrated

to us.

Ten days passed then we moved to Transportation, Environment and Energy Group led by

Dr. Karl N. Vergel. We were then tasked to scan the thesis on the shelf as displayed in their room

and pick one of the thesis and create an abstract out of it. I chose the study Impact of Concrete

Barriers on Traffic Flow and Road Safety in Metro Manila whereas most MMDA traffic enforcers

favored the use of concrete barriers because some drivers deliberately bump the plastic barriers.

Mapping is being used increasingly in Engineering Projects as a rapid, highly cost effective

means of accessing both potential hazards and resources. In Civil Engineering schemes such as

new highways and railway lines, regional planning and large-scale land-management projects,

mapping is relatively important. Nowadays, mapping tools become way more accessible, but most

of the offerings, including those from ArcGIS, were expensive. For an 80 hour collaboration with

the Transport, Environment and Energy Group, we are tasked to examine an alternative to other
mapping tools that will be free and user friendly. There is an idea of programming the input within

the Network catalog file in the Cube using the data from openstreetmaps.org.

The methodology in building and editing network in Cube has two options: Manually by

using the Find (Ctrl+F) function in Notepad++, we can manually search for the Type of Road and

identify their respective Way IDs. Then, search each Way ID to the openstreetmap.org to

determine if the way is inside or outside the boundary. Afterwards we can proceed in obtaining

the latitude and longitude using the find function again. Having these data, we can now complete

the field names in the node and link file. Automatically, we created an excel files and named it

Automated.xlsm and finding long and lat.xlsm, where we can sort the data we wanted in just few

clicks. We can easily sort the Type of road using the Filter function. From Automated.xlsm, filter

the Type of Road you are currently working and copy the results to a new excel file. Why new file

and not new sheet? These files above are carrying multiple data and formulas that are bound to

slow down the process instead of making your work fast. Create a new excel file and paste the

result, sort it again by their Way IDs and search it the Notepad++ to get the correct sequence. Then

insert the nodes to finding long and lat.xlsm to automatically generate its longitude and latitude.

Having these data, we can now proceed in creating nodes and links file.

This altering of data in the node and link file resulted to a similar network as to

openstreetmaps.org. Following the methodology of the previous group and discovering new

procedures has enable us to generate the boundary line of the Valenzuela City, as well as its trunks,

primary, secondary, tertiary and some barangay roads. Summing up, the alternative mapping

methodology discussed above is feasible and can provide results.

Our next department was Inclusive Transport led by Engr. Aileen U. Mappala. We were

there for 160 hours because the Library wasnt in good condition. We were first tasked to redo the

Motorcycle Lane Splitting Survey last February of this year due to incomplete count. Lane-

splitting is the practice of riding between lanes of traffic or sharing a lane with another motor

vehicle. Having the video clip of the AM Peak along Katipunan Avenue with directions going to

UP Campus and going to Aurora Blvd; we manually counted the volume of the motorcycles,

motorcyclist that doesnt wear helmets, and lane splitting motorcycles and their number of back
riders. Results shown that 22.5% of motorcyclist are lane splitting and 18.6% of the motorcyclist

has back riders.

Next was Road Sign Inventory along UP Academic Oval, Regidor Street, and National

Science Complex Area. This survey needs GPS, camera, and a tally sheet. Mark the location of

the sign using GPS and identify and record the sign along with its Way point. Finally take a picture

of the sign to document its current condition. Results showed that most of the signs are in good

condition.

Lastly, we conducted UP Diliman Traffic Rules and Regulation Survey, from construction

of encoding template and distribution of survey questionnaires to collection and encoding of the

answered questionnaires. The survey was completed in three weeks. This survey is in connection

of the departments research which aims at evaluating the awareness of UP Diliman personnel and

students regarding traffic rules and regulations.

Aside from the technical terms, they also taught that values are also important in a

workplace. Strong Work Ethic, means your willingness to work hard. Every day in training, we

are aiming to do the work fast and correct so we can accomplish and learn many surveys as

possible. Work smart, means learning the most efficient way to complete tasks and finding ways

to save time. In Transportation, Environment, and Energy Group, we are challenged by the manual

procedure of obtaining links and nodes that leads us in creating the automated database. Delegate,

means giving your trust to your workmates; that they can also do what you are doing. In Inclusive

Transport, we divide the task to every member so we can perform better and finish the task

immediately. Eight hands can do better than you alone.

Transportation Engineering may not be my first choice; but during my stay at NCTS;

they helped me realized that Transportation Engineering wasnt that bad. Transportation

Engineering is dynamic and the most social form of engineering. It deals not only with the

design of horizontal structures, but the behavior of people as well. Above anything else all

the works and task given to me are all meaningful part of my experience. I believed that they

are all essential in molding me to be a better person in my future workplace.