Wednesday, March 12, 2008
THE JOLLY JAYWALKERS OF MANILA
How big a 'No Pedestrian Crossing Allowed' sign would it take for Manileños to obey it and thus, avoid precipitating a bloody vehicular homicide incident?
In the less than 10 minutes that I stood in this particular corner of Claro M. Recto Avenue and Nicanor Reyes (formerly Morayta), these are some of the truculent folks I caught with my camera who crossed this street which, according to this humongous sign, doing so is not at all allowed. Yet, these folks remained nonchalantly defiant. Is their sense of self-preservation impaired by having eaten tainted fish balls or what?
Now, I wonder whatever happened to the wet slap on the face that the Metro Manila Development Authority used to punish local jaywalkers with?
According to an International Herald Tribune news report, the Metro Manila Development Authority has once implemented an unusual method to discipline jaywalkers by soaking them wet. A bit uncivilized all right, but it may be the only way to control these repeat offenders.
Be that as it may, in fairness, my fellow Manileños are not the only ones guilty of jaywalking; New Yorkers are, too.
Ang kukulit!
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posted by Señor Enrique at 7:41 AM
37 Comments:
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nutart said... I assume that the meetings of the mayors etal of Metro manila are mainly on brainstorming about ways of preventing jaywalking. In Quezon Blvd the fences to prevent jaywalkers have risen to about 7 ft! Para kang walking through a veritable prison camp!
Your series of pictures are so ironically funny! I recall there was a time when the pulis would really embarass jaywalkers in Cubao by shouting "Hoy! yung babaeng nakapula...!" Even had a booth on the street where they would "jail" these jaywalkers for 3o minutes just to be publicly humiliated.-
Señor Enrique said...
Mayor Lim should just plant SWAT snipers at strategic areas to shoot jaywalkers with paint balls containing a tacky vivid color and with a fierce foul smelling odor.
That should discourage jaywalking, don't you think, Bernadette? ... hehehe.-
pusa said...
hahahah no matter how big or colorful their warning signs are, pinoys are really hard headed when it comes to observing traffic rules
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said... New Yorkers and Manileno are a breed apart from Orange and Los Angeles pedestrians when it comes to jaywalking. I've seen some of them stand in wait at an empty intersection waiting for the "walk" signal LOL.
Most residents of these two counties are traffic compliant, whether driving or walking.-
Señor Enrique said...
Check out the mother and daughter tangent in the next to the last photo, Pusa. They're even munching on something as if strolling in a park; unperturbed by the possible dangers of this street ... hahaha!
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Señor Enrique said...
I tend to do that in Manhattan even in early Sunday mornings, BrtN. It must have been due to a fear of some maniacal motorist coming out of nowhere, careening and running me down dead ... hahaha.
Los Angeles cops, especially those on motorbikes similar to the characters of the TV show CHiPs, are notorious for suddenly appearing when you've committed even the slightest traffic infraction. They're scary!-
Sidney said...
Why follow the rules when nobody else does?
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Panaderos said...
Change won't happen overnight, especially if such change is not implemented on a consistent and continuous basis. In the absence of focused implementation, jaywalking as a habit and as a problem won't go away.
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mgaputonimimi said...
tsk tsk. bawal na nga eh. ^_^
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said...
I'm sure hindi mga Pinoy yung jaywalkers you have mentioned sa New York.
This is just an observation, whenever Pinoy's goes to other country, they follow the rules. Pero bakit kapag nasa sariling bayan, we tend to challenge all the rules.
Bakit kaya?-
ScroochChronicles said...
I like that paintball idea!! And then to punish them they should be made to tend to the grass on some of the islands on Edsa :)
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Unknown said...
Our pedestrians are notorious! Kahit "Dont Walk", tatawid pa rin. Pag nabusinahan, galit pa sa driver! :D
There used to be a mobile prison in Bicutan where police put jaywalkers for 3 hours to teach them a lesson. I don't know if it worked.:D
My sister was caught jaywalking at Edsa/Ortigas. When the MMDA enforcer approached the jaywalkers, most of them ran away. My sister, too dignified to run, was apprehended. The MMDA enforcer was imposing her a fine of 200 pesos, or he'd issue a ticket for jaywalking. My sister opted for the ticket, and the enforcer threatened that it would show when she gets an NBI clearance. OK lang, my sister told him, it would prove that I'm indeed a Filipino citizen! hahahaha-
Urbano dela Cruz said...
hmm.
why do we always expect the pedestrians to adjust to vehicles and not the other way around?
People cross where they cross because it is the most convenient.
If they are not using the crossing facilities we have put up -then there is something wrong with the design of those facilities.
Other cities have realized that making their streets more pedestrian friendly actually improves the quality of life and the local economy.
Why do we think cars always more important than people?
UDC-
armovil said...
Senor,
Aray, Im guilty for that especially crossing from national bookstore to Ever Recto. But I am now a law abiding person here in Pasadena, CA. Hehehe. Kahit walang sasakyan hihintayin talaga ang sign na "walk now".Pero pag sa atin ito, basta wala pang sasakyan nakatawid na ako.Tapos dito pag gusto mong tumawid at may sasakyan, hihinto talaga ang mga sila at hahayaan ka nilang munang tumawid.-
Amadeo said...
But, Eric:
Cannot a case be made that this is one of those cases where public street signs are "donated" by private companies which then can share text space with whatever official sign is posted?
Thus, the jaywalking admonition may be big, bold and threatening but so is the private company's name and logo. Not much different and significant from the countless store signs assaulting every pedestrian.
Does the sign even look official and/or follow standard international road signs for everybody, local and alien, to recognize and thus follow?
This happens in the provinces, too. And these private companies are only to happy to litter the streets with as many signs as are allowed, because for them, it is free advertising.
In the process making trite and inconsequential whatever valid traffic rule is being broadcast.-
gmirage said...
You single-handedly caught a lot of Jaywalkers that day Senor! hahaha...me pruweba laban sa knila!
I agree with Mandaragat, Pinoys follow rules and laws in every country other than their own...I guess its not just the fear and respect of authority...its the 'I do this, you follow' mentality. They see the discipline of locals and that's enough example to push them do the same. *sigh*
Luna, isnt that in a way, extortion na din? did it really show sa nbi clearance?-
Señor Enrique said...
Just because some choose not to follow the rules, I don't think it's wise for all to do the same, Sidney; otherwise, anarchy ... hehehe!
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Señor Enrique said...
You may be right, Panaderos. There are some students in the university belt area who seem to make a sport of crossing on the red light and dodging oncoming traffic.
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Señor Enrique said...
And based on the photos, Mimi, everyone seemed to be respectable and law-abiding citizens; not taong grasa ... hahaha!
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Señor Enrique said...
Their defiant attitude at home may reflect a subconscious disrespect for our local authority, Mandaragat.
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Señor Enrique said...
Yup, Scrooch -- shoot them all right on the butt. And I like the idea of them tending the grass on EDSA ... lol :)
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Señor Enrique said...
Good for your sister, Luna, because that fine is merely a "bribe" which will go to his own pocket!
If our law enforcers are embroiled in corruption, then no one will truly respect them and the laws they uphold. Jeez!-
Oman said...
If they make jaywalking a sport, pinoys will definitely rule. its like patintero with a deadly twist.
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Señor Enrique said...
I beg to differ, Urbano, especially in the streets of Manila. People have to be disciplined enough to adhere to certain rules and regulations. Otherwise, what will happen is more incidents of people crossing at unexpected spots will occur. And if motorists will defer to crossing pedestrians at their leisure, traffic will literally crawl or stop altogether, especially during the rush.
But then again, Manila has to completely clear its pedestrian lanes and sidewalks of street vendors. People tend to avoid walking through crowded walkways by simply crossing the street to the other side where the sidewalk may not be littered with vendors.-
Señor Enrique said...
The fact that the fines involved are in US dollars may have a lot to do with it, Armovil ... lol!
How's life in Pasadena? Bet it's nice :)-
Señor Enrique said...
Good point, Amadeo.
I can only surmise that perhaps, the commercial sector is more responsive when paying for signs that promote public safety, though certain compromises are involved.
However, some people in the area who struck up a conversation with me while I was shooting claimed that there were people who got hit by oncoming vehicles on that very spot, including cars who suddenly stop -- because someone decided to unexpectedly cross -- and got hit by another from behind for having done so. Indeed, plenty of fender benders in this crossing; thus, the regulation and sign.-
Señor Enrique said...
I tend to suspect, Gizelle, that the measly fines may be the culprit. How about jacking up the fine from P200 to P1000.00. Do you think it might help?
In the States, a $50 fine translates to about P2,500 for a Pinoy; such a staggering amount for a fine hence becomes an effective deterrent ... hehehe.-
Señor Enrique said...
Lol ... just the thought of which makes it hysterical, especially when lolas and lolos are involved, Lawstude.
But on a more serious and sombre note:
My nephew who works for an insurance company for major bus company that ply the north Luzon area told me of a case he had to resolve.
A woman with several children was discovered to have caused the deaths of two of her young children by urging them to cross a highway just when a bus was coming. It was a way for her to make some money.
And if there was such a thing as "suicide by cops" in the States, in the provinces, some people opt to get run over by buses. In so doing, their loved ones collect insurance money.-
said...
May nakikita akong mga signs sa EDSA: HUWAG TUMAWID, NAKAMAMATAY! Ay, dapat siguro ganoon ang mga warning signs. Tapos, lagyan pa nila ng picture ng nasagasaang tao na dugu-duguan at patay.
Yay, so morbid. hehe.-
Señor Enrique said...
Now that's an idea that should be seriously implemented, Rhoda!
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said...
Senor,
Nice blogspot...I got here while looking for smellyscalp solutions. *LOL*...
Anyway, count me in as one of jaywalker-haters. I've made a conscious effort before not to jaywalk and I think I've made it a habit already to always look for the pedestrian lane (and use it) no matter if I get strange reactions from the other people around me. This way, it's now one idiot down, more to go. hahahahaha.-
Señor Enrique said...
Was it google who directed you here while looking for a smelly scalp solution, Crisn? Lol! Hilarious!
Most friends don't enjoy walking with me because I tend to do just that -- cross the streets on designated lanes and when the light says it's all right to do so.
People don't realize that jeepneys and even motorcycles weight a lot more than they do so even a minor collision may result to debilitating physical injury.-
-= dave =- said...
As I've said before, life is cheap in the Philippines. If you thing jaywalking downtown is dangerous enough, you should see the jaywalkers of C5. But I must admit I do jaywalk when it's already late at night and the highway is almost empty. I do bear in mind though that vehicles are fastest in an clear highway.
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Señor Enrique said...
Naku, better be careful when jaywalking, Dave!
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concrete girl said...
" jaywalking"Oh my.. i might be guilty as well
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Señor Enrique said...
Aha! A target of red ball paint snipers you are, Concrete Girl ... hehehe!
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said...
jaywalking daw eh P200 daw ang multa... pfft!!! ang baba!!! gawin niyong 20thou para walang tumawid... tingnan sa davao, yosi sa loob ng establishment 10k ang multa... o me nagyoyosi??? di wala... and i'm a smoker myself... sa pinas kasi nde talaga marunong rumespeto ang karamihan sa mga panukala kaya takutan na lang ito
