Marco
How people experience the Philippine urban transportation system in 2030
Marco is seven years old, and he’s in 2nd grade. Marco walks to school by himself every day. The school is in their neighborhood, and it usually takes Marco about 20 minutes to get there. Marco’s mom has her hands full caring for Marco’s younger sister, who has special needs. Marco’s independence is a real benefit.
Marco’s mom doesn’t worry too much, even if they don’t live in the well-off part of town. The walk to school is safe, the streets have wide sidewalks, and there are many other students who also walk to school. There are wide, painted crossings at grade (no overpasses) and there are crossing lights and crossing aides. There are shady trees along the sidewalks to give the students and other pedestrians relief from the sun and some shelter when it rains.
The sidewalks and the trees are well-maintained. There are even planters with flowering plants that make the sidewalk very pretty when they bloom.
Marco usually leaves school at 3 PM and walks the same way back. Sometimes he stops with his friends to buy some treats from the street vendors who are accommodated in special portions of the sidewalk. On hot days it can be a cold ice buko; on cooler days, he might get a banana-cue from one of his suki vendors. The street vendors are inspected regularly by the city health office. They also help keep the sidewalks clean and add extra “eyes-on-the-street” to keep the young students safe as they make their way to and from school.
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