CNN’s travel website CNNGo.com on Thursday named Manila as the world’s third worst city for driving.
“In 2001, Manila borrowed US$60 million from the World Bank for transit-related activities. Among other things, the funds were meant to ‘promote the use of non-motorized transport.’ A campaign asking locals to ‘Please stop driving,’ however, wasn't necessarily the best approach to traffic management,” the website said.
CNNGo.com added that according to one report, Filipinos perceive traffic congestion as their number one problem, followed by air pollution, garbage collection, flood control and the need for security.
“So, Filipinos care more about getting to work on time than they do about respiratory ailments, mounting trash heaps, drowning or being assaulted? Capitalism wins again!” it said.
Nevertheless, the travel website pointed out the redeeming quality of the Philippines, saying, “You're in a country in which smooth-flowing traffic is apparently of utmost importance to residents. So, you gotta figure somebody, somewhere is working on the problem. Right?”
CNNGo.com noted that its “non-scientific” list of the world’s 10 worst cities for driving was based on IBM’s 2011 Commuter Pain survey, World Bank statistics and other Internet sources.
According to the survey, worse than Manila were two other Asian cities like New Delhi, India and Beijing, China which topped the list.
Mexico City, Mexico placed fourth while Johannesburg, South Africa was the fifth worst.
Completing the list were Lagos, Nigeria; Sao Paolo, Brazil; Moscow, Russia; Toronto, Canada; and Monaco, which ranked sixth to tenth respectively.
