Traffic control with humour and a smile
Over lunch the other day I was told about how pedestrian control used to be done, the 'Manila way'....
It goes something like this...(and this was told in relation to the Edsa Shaw junction)...pedestrian control was carried out by MMDA employees who stood at the intersection with bullhorns...and if people jaywalked the MMDA employees would pick them out by description...along the lines of..."Oi, you, you in the red shirt and blue jeans with the long hair", as the jaywalking pedestrian stopped, the MMDA employee would carry on..."Yes, you...what do you think you're doing, go back to the pavement"....
So at this point the jaywalker would return to the sidewalk where they would be 'punished'...this could be anything from an on the spot fine...to singing the national anthem through the bulhorn!!
It sounds like an excellent way of controlling pedestrians....a little labour intensive...but still excellent...particularly singing the national anthem by way of punishment....more countries should do this...
One of the things that is interesting about Manila traffic control is the human aspect of the control system as opposed to traffic lights....at the end of my road there is a convergence of about 5 roads....and in the middle is a human traffic controller...and he or she organises the traffic flow, the pedestrians and greet their usual 'pedestrians', of which I am one...and in the midst of doing this they also manage to collar the taxis needed for the pedestrians gathering on the corner.... traffic controllers work through all weathers, stand breathing in the awful pollution of the city and still smile and greet people....only in the Philippines....
I am also told that there are dancing traffic controllers in Quezon City.....I think this is something that needs investigating...!
It goes something like this...(and this was told in relation to the Edsa Shaw junction)...pedestrian control was carried out by MMDA employees who stood at the intersection with bullhorns...and if people jaywalked the MMDA employees would pick them out by description...along the lines of..."Oi, you, you in the red shirt and blue jeans with the long hair", as the jaywalking pedestrian stopped, the MMDA employee would carry on..."Yes, you...what do you think you're doing, go back to the pavement"....
So at this point the jaywalker would return to the sidewalk where they would be 'punished'...this could be anything from an on the spot fine...to singing the national anthem through the bulhorn!!
It sounds like an excellent way of controlling pedestrians....a little labour intensive...but still excellent...particularly singing the national anthem by way of punishment....more countries should do this...
One of the things that is interesting about Manila traffic control is the human aspect of the control system as opposed to traffic lights....at the end of my road there is a convergence of about 5 roads....and in the middle is a human traffic controller...and he or she organises the traffic flow, the pedestrians and greet their usual 'pedestrians', of which I am one...and in the midst of doing this they also manage to collar the taxis needed for the pedestrians gathering on the corner.... traffic controllers work through all weathers, stand breathing in the awful pollution of the city and still smile and greet people....only in the Philippines....
I am also told that there are dancing traffic controllers in Quezon City.....I think this is something that needs investigating...!
posted by Madame Chiang at 7:57 am
1 Comments:
I loved the controllers...I could watch them for ages. I think we need the bullhorn/embaress technique where I live for drivers at round-a-bouts :)
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