Traffic rules and our penchant for loopholes

At a lunch earlier this week with a president of a car company, the automotive executive cheerfully shared that all the panic about the dreaded EDSA rehabilitation has led to more inquiries about his brand’s hybrid and EV models.

- INIGO S. ROCES

The buyers don’t seem too keen about all the environmental benefits nor fuel savings these vehicles will bring. It’s more on whether these vehicles will be exempted from whatever bizarre vehicle volume reduction plan the concerned government departments will implement. Of course, as stated in the EVIDA law and reiterated by the government, these vehicles will continue to be exempt even during the EDSA rehab planned for next year.

This alone shows that many vehicle owners are already trying to find ways to circumvent any traffic volume control measures the government may be planning. There doesn’t appear to be any intention to follow their recommendations of following the volume reduction measures, carpooling, and much less commuting.

It’s a cycle we’ve seen time and time again with every traffic related rule that’s been implemented in the past couple of decades. We needn’t look very far to find examples of this penchant for finding loopholes.