Jayden
How people experience the Philippine urban transportation system in 2030
Jayden is a student at a private university in the city. He’s the captain of the school’s football team, so every day he’s in school very early for team training sessions.
As captain, he likes to be the first one on the field, so he usually leaves home at 5 in the morning to get to school 30 minutes before training starts. He has several options. He could take the family car. When the weather is good, he could take his electric kick scooter. Usually, he just takes the bus. Because public transportation is so efficient, fewer people drive, and so there’s less traffic. The protected bike lane network goes everywhere, is safe, and personal mobility devices like electric kick scooters are allowed. By car or bus, he usually gets to school in just under 30 minutes. Forty-five if he takes the scooter.
Jayden wants to ditch the car and upgrade to an e-bike. There is a student subsidy program that will give him a big discount. He wants a cargo bike so he can use it for his weekly grocery trips for his family.
For now, he also takes the car or public transportation to the supermarket. The buses, the e-jeepneys, and the trains have spaces for people carrying bags and carts. They have spaces for people using wheelchairs or parents with children in strollers. The system is already very convenient, but a cargo bike will let him carry more and help him with his fitness training. Plus, he knows his friends will find it really cool. Then again, he also wants to keep the car when he goes out on dates.
The biggest advantage of not having to use the car every day is that Jayden saves money on parking fees. The parking fees in the city adjust to demand and time of day. The more people are looking for parking, the higher the costs. This makes the parking system more efficient and ensures the availability of parking spaces. There are parking enforcers everywhere, no more parking on sidewalks. Parking tickets are punitive and are indexed to income. People who earn more must pay more for violations. Overnight parking is banned along most roads. Even private parking structures have to pay a special parking tax.
The government uses the proceeds from the parking fees, the parking tickets, and the parking tax to help pay for the excellent public transportation service and to build and maintain the sidewalks and protected bike lanes. It also pays for a program that encourages people to buy e-bikes.
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