Theoretical Background

Traffic congestion is a chronoligical condition on transport that as use

increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased

vehicular queueing. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction between

vehicles slows the speed of the traffic stream, this results in some congestion. While

congestion is a possibility for any mode of transportation, this article will focus on

automobile congestion on public roads.

As demand approaches the capacity of a road (or of the intersections along

the road), extreme traffic congestion sets in. When vehicles are fully stopped for

periods of time, this is colloquially known as a traffic jam or traffic snarl-up. Traffic

congestion can lead to drivers becoming frustrated and engaging in road rage.

Cities traffic is on the rise and the main reason why it has increased is that

cities are the powerhouses of economic growth. According to Bartolone et al., around

eight percent of Gross Development Product (GDP) growth in developing countries is

expected to come from cities . It is essential to facilitate movements when it comes to

economic activities.That’s why transportation system provides the way for movements

for reaching destinations. Insufficient transportation system creates problem in

economic activities and hindrances for development. In most of developing countries

overburdened by rising population and extreme poverty, incrasing economic activities

and oppurtunities in the cities result in fast increase in urban population. Authorities in

these countries often fail to cope up population growth and economic activities. This

results to urban sprawl, traffic congestion and environmental degradation. Congestion

is common when communities grow faster

 than upgrading the roads infrastructure. We have to balance building

structures to infrastrutures. As we build higher buildings, we build higher roads.

When planning of of the new improvement of the existing condition of road

infrastructures, it is always necessary to take into consideration that the new solution

has to be able to minimally satisfy the current needs of the system users; in this case, the

increase number of road vehicles that operate in the chosen area. The planning should

include the data on the annual average increase in the taffic load, i.e., the planned

solution should be able to serve well the increased loads within a certain future period

of time as well. In certain situation and in certain areas, there may still come to

significant deviations from the forecast values due to unforeseeable circumstances.

Cebu has been identified as the worst place in the world to drive in, atleast based

on an annual survey of Waze Driver Satisfaction Index 2016. This is based on a survey

among 20,000 monthly users of Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic and

navigaton app. The survey analyzed experienced of Waze users in 38 countries and 235

cities. Cebu earned 1.15 Satisfaction Index. A score of “10” is “satisfying” while “1” is

“miserable.” Cebu ranked as lowest among 186 metros in the world while Philippines

ranked 37th.
Factors considered in the survey include traffic’s density and severity, road quality and

road infrastructure, road safety, road hazards, driver’s services like access to gas station

and easy parking ans the socio-economic. According to Cebu City Transportation

Officer chief Rafael Yap, the city government acknowledges the challenge of managing

traffic congestion.

“CCTO acknowledges the challenges of managing traffic congestion, given the

increasing pace of economic development as evidenced by the growth of BPOs and

malls in Cebu. This economic development has trickled down a lot of our constituents

who are now able to buy cars or motorcycles as opposed to taking transportation,” Yap

said.