Christmas – a time of love, joy, peace, and a lot of angry motorists. Because when the holiday air starts blowing, the roads of the Metro become more and more congested, thanks to Christmas shopping and Christmas parties left and right.
It has become as regular as a yearly gift-giving, so this year, if you didn’t brace for it during the last one, then you should. Get your body, mind, and your Toyota Vios in the Philippines ready; here’s how to survive that ever-worsening Christmas car-mageddon.
Get the Best Car Apps
Thanks to today’s smartphone technology, it has become easier to navigate the roads of the Metro no matter how heavily laden they get with traffic. For starters, there’s Waze, an app that tells you how to get from one place to another and at the same time see how heavy the traffic is on the routes you wish to travel.
Another good app for your road convenience would be the MMDA Traffic App. A joint venture of both the MMDA and TV5’s Interaksyon, this app monitors the real-time traffic condition of the different streets in Metro Manila. And in conjunction with the app, its makers also launched a website called the MMDA Traffic Mirror, which is a live feed of Metro Manila road situations.
Pack Everything You Need
More likely than not, you have already experienced the heavy traffic in the Metro; it’s a miracle if you still haven’t. You already know that there are times when flow could get so slow that it’s already three hours and you’re still on the road. And in that amount of time, you can feel hungry, thirsty, sleepy, and bored – all of which are problems while you’re still behind the wheel.
Therefore, have all the necessary stuff to beat these four: packed snacks, bottled beverages or a water canteen, coffee or energy drinks, and a book and some game apps on your phone. After all, there’s no escaping an hour or two – maybe even three – of being stuck in traffic, so you might as well make good use of it.
Travel During Ideal Hours
It’s good to beat traffic, but it’d be better to avoid it altogether. Imagine, only an hour at most on the asphalt and getting to your destination completely refreshed – who wouldn’t want that, right? Question is, how do you do it? By leaving or not leaving at the right time.
By leaving during the hours when only a few motorists are on the streets and not taking off while it’s still rush hour, you’ll save a lot of time and energy that would’ve been wasted on what seems like an eternity of being caught in an everyday traffic jam. It can be difficult for people to do, especially those who have no time management skills and/or discipline; but its pay-off is definitely worth the few hours of waking up earlier or waiting.
They say that we should treat every day as though it were Christmas. Well, considering the awful year-round traffic situation, it does feel like it; it just worsens during Christmas. Thankfully, with these tips and the spirit of patience, you’ll overcome this holiday testing.
