The Skyway Stage 3 Project Dilemma: Balancing Cost and Convenience

No single piece of infrastructure has probably received as much attention in recent months as the Skyway Stage 3. Not necessarily on account of it being an elevated tollway, mind you, since the novelty in being the first of that order belongs to the original Skyway along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

In as much as the elevated tollway brings the dream of linking SLEX with the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) minus the nasty prospect of slogging through EDSA traffic, motorists have been largely taken aback by the imposed toll rates. Driving from Buendia to Quirino costs Php 105 for a measly two kilometers northbound, the cheapest toll on the expressway. In contrast, it only costs Php 72 from the Skyway’s Merville entry to the Bicutan southbound exit, all of 5.4 kilometers.

We asked readers in a poll if the Skyway Stage 3 would be a part of the typical motorist’s daily commute. The votes between Yes and No stand at 27 and 32 percent respectively, indicating that the convenience offered by the tollway is still eclipsed by its effect on the budget.

However, the remaining 41 percent comprise a third group of respondents that don’t necessarily commit to using or avoiding Skyway Stage 3 either way. They’re the ones who would take a more pragmatic approach, using the expressway depending on how traffic conditions are on EDSA, easily the country’s busiest thoroughfare.

Much of the details surrounding the Skyway Stage 3 are beyond the ordinary traveler’s control. There’s the cost for instance, which can’t be helped; the tollway’s operator San Miguel Corporation (SMC) had to pay for rights-of-way of affected residents who agreed to relocate, as well as revising the original route to accommodate those who didn’t.

And then there’s the speed limit, which many still criticize as being too low. SMC already explained that the Skyway Stage 3 uses a variable lane system, necessitating the regulated speeds. An incident involving a van sideswiping an SUV on the opposite lane further emphasized the speed limit’s importance, to say nothing of the many turns that need to be negotiated on the tollway itself.

What is within our control, however, is choice. The Skyway Stage 3 was neither a promise nor an invitation to accommodate everyone. Sure, it was billed as a means to make travel more convenient, albeit only for those who can afford the fees. But that goes for every other expressway anyway, so the Skyway Stage 3 is not unique in that regard. There is no law forcing a private motorist to take the tollway either, in an age where alternate routes are just a few taps away on a touchscreen.

Similarly, there’s no penalty for avoiding the use of the Skyway Stage 3 on matters of principle, if you feel that the rates are a bit much. But then again, it would be good to try the roadway for yourself even once, if an opportunity presents itself.

As someone who lives in the Eastern suburbs, I’m largely shielded from both the convenience and the cost that the Skyway Stage 3 offers. That said, I can afford to use it at my discretion, rare as that instance might be. It’s an option I look forward to taking one of these days, as it can’t hurt to have something to look forward to, like a glimpse of what’s possible for our long-suffering motorists.