Transportation Systems Overview

Transportation as a System

• Transportation systems are essential for daily activities, including work, school, and emergencies.
• Systems are particularly critical during natural hazards, allowing safe evacuation and access to resources.
• Key functions during hazards include enabling parent-child reunions, facilitating evacuations, and maintaining access for emergency responders.

Societal Needs and System Performance Goals

• After a hazard event, recovery is structured in terms of short-term (0-3 days), intermediate (1-12 weeks), and long-term (4-36+ months) needs.
• Transportation plays a crucial role in:
  • Emergency responder access.
  • Restoration of critical infrastructure like energy and communication.
  • Evacuation and supply delivery post-disaster.

Interdependencies

• Transportation systems are interconnected with essential services and infrastructure:
  • Power plants rely on transportation for coal or fuel delivery.
  • Communication networks often utilise transportation routes for repair access.
  • Critical facilities are inaccessible without functional transportation.
  • Water infrastructure is closely tied to access routes.

Transportation Infrastructure

• Roads, Bridges, and Tunnels:

  • The extensive road network is primary for personal and commercial transport.
  • Bridges connect disrupted roadways over natural obstacles; their failure can significantly impact transport.
  • Road tunnels are crucial for maintaining connectivity but present safety risks.

• Rail Systems:

  • Subways provide mass transit, particularly in populous urban areas, facing challenges like flooding.
  • Regional and intercity rail systems connect communities efficiently.

• Air Infrastructure:

  • Airports facilitate rapid freight and passenger transport over long distances.
  • Airport operations are heavily reliant on road connections for freight efficiency.

• Ports and Waterways:

  • Ports handle a significant volume of imports and exports, critical for trade.

• Pipelines:

  • Pipelines are essential for transporting fuels and other critical resources across regions.

Philippine Transport System

• The transportation system is vital for economic connectivity across the archipelago.
• Road transportation dominates, accounting for 98% of passenger and 58% of cargo traffic.
• Infrastructure includes approximately 215,000 km of roads, 1,300 ports, and 215 airports.

Water Transport

• Interisland shipping is critical, with about 1,300 ports, mostly government-owned.
• The sector faces safety challenges, averaging 160 maritime accidents yearly due to factors such as human error and poor vessel management.

Air Transport

• Out of 215 airports, 84 are government-owned; includes 10 designated as international.
• Initiatives to liberalize air transport and expand secondary international gateways have boosted travel.

Urban Transport

• Rapid urbanization expected, with 77% of the population in urban areas by 2030.
• Road-based transport dominates except in Metro Manila, which has additional transit systems.

Railways

• The railway system includes light rail transit lines in Metro Manila and heavy rail in Luzon.
• Three LRT lines, operational since 1984, 1999, and 2003, serve significant daily passenger volumes.