It seems pre-pandemic traffic is back following the shift to Alert Level 1. According to data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the current daily vehicular volume at EDSA alone is at 370,000, factoring in the oil price hike. That’s just a few cars short of the pre-pandemic figure of 405,000.
To remedy this, MMDA is said to be studying various alternatives on top of the resumption of the number coding scheme from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. One of these is the adoption of daylight saving time, a practice observed in over 70 countries around the world, wherein clocks are adjusted an hour ahead of the Standard Time during the summer months then are changed back during fall. This was originally implemented to, among other things, extend daylight hours and cut down on the need for artificial light.
Before you say, “But daylight saving time is literally fatal,”—as studies have linked an increased number of car accidents after shifting to daylight saving time—the silver lining here is it seems whoever suggested it to MMDA meant something else entirely.
How exactly the government could adopt it to ease traffic congestion is not at all related to the premise of daylight saving though. In an interview with media outlets, MMDA chair Romando Artes said the suggestion was to adjust government working hours, currently at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. The shift is meant to ease up the morning rush by at least an hour. He added that this is beneficial not only to government workers but also to those who transact with the government.
See? Not at all related to daylight saving time that nearly half of the world is familiar with, save for the one-hour adjustment. If anything, it will only affect the government and its operations. Maybe call it something else instead of alluding to a practice that it has nothing to do with.