N.B. – This was published in The Lobbyist (May 17) where I write a column (Subtext).

It took a prominent person’s tragic death to bring to the government’s attention the urgent need for effective traffic management on the widest street in Quezon City, notoriously dubbed the killer highway.

As of this writing, government officials are floating various ideas through the media – crackdown on erring bus drivers, putting speed radar guns on Metro Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) motorcycle units, presence of mobile patrol cars on selected areas of Commonwealth Avenue (particularly the TechnoHub where UP Journalism Prof. Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan died), stricter licensing and franchising requirements, reimplementation of the “contact policy” (erring motorists will be flagged down by traffic enforcers instead of the current practice of just sending them notices of their violations), the list goes on.

At this point, I just wonder why the focus of government efforts is just on Commonwealth Avenue when in fact the reality of that street is just a reflection of the lack of effective urban planning nationwide. Yes, statistics show that that particular street has had the most accidents in recent years but it doesn’t mean that other streets don’t have their fair share of road accidents (even fatal ones).

There seems to be a culture of tolerance with regard to the conditions of roads, as well as the kind of vehicles that are allowed to ply major thoroughfares. One cannot deny the existence of a culture of corruption as both traffic enforcers and erring motorists negotiate “alternatives” to getting a violation ticket. And don’t get me started regarding implementing the full force of the law: As I write this, there are reports that the bus firm involved in Estella-Simbulan’s death is plying its routes despite a one-month suspension order. The excuse given by the bus operator is that the company has not yet received the order. If this is true, then the fault lies in both parties – the government for being slow in enforcing rules and the bus company for having the audacity to ignore the public outcry.

Don’t get me wrong: There are honest traffic enforcers and well-meaning motorists (i.e., defensive drivers) out there but they are apparently outnumbered by the corrupt and reckless ones. The fact that every good deed on the street hogs the headlines simply shows the “oddity” of honesty, a situation that is unacceptable for an administration that claims to be on a righteous path, compared to the crooked ones of the past.

I can only hope at this point that the government efforts toward road safety are not just knee-jerk reactions to the public outcry as a result of Estella-Simbulan’s tragic death. Her death should not be in vain. Justice should be served.