FROM the recent State of the Nation Address, the transport infrastructure priorities of the Marcos administration continue to be roads, bridges and railways — similar to the spending choices of the previous administration. With the current government beginning its third year in office and with only four years to go in its term, the priority should be on delivering results in the short to medium term that can improve the everyday transportation experience of ordinary Filipinos. The focus needs to be on picking "low-hanging fruit" that offers meaningful, broad-based improvements.

As a sustainable mobility advocate, I welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s statement that "we are in the midst of a railway renaissance." He pointed to the significant progress in major rail projects: the Metro Manila Subway, North-South Commuter Railway and the MRT-7. Rail services, as high-capacity mass transit, are part of the formula for improving the mobility of urban Filipinos. Railways should continue to be a very important part of the public transportation mix and remain a high priority. But we shouldn't be placing all our eggs in the rail basket.

Because railway investments are capital-intensive and have long gestations, they tend to be confined to limited geographical areas. Railways can easily take 10 years or more to build (consider the history of the MRT-7, now on its seventh year of construction). For similar reasons, the Metro Manila Subway, which consumes a very large share of the country's budget for public transport improvement, will likely be operational only in the next administration.

The massive investments in roads and bridges benefit mainly the minority with private motor vehicles, leaving out the needs of the majority: people who walk, those on bicycles and users of public transportation. Our road and bridge investments should be designed to promote sustainable mobility options — serving those without cars — rather than encourage further private motorization.

To avoid long periods of infrastructure spending without generating tangible results for the majority, we should adopt a more balanced distribution of investments so that ordinary Filipinos are able to feel improvements sooner. Below are some ideas for achieving earlier and better outcomes.

Invest in active transport infrastructure. In nearly every part of the country, sidewalks are either missing or in sub-standard condition. Investing in improving sidewalks can deliver significant benefits in every community over a relatively short period of time (within 1-2 years).

We are all pedestrians, and over one-quarter of Filipinos own bicycles. With better sidewalks, people will have more active, healthier lifestyles, and young and old will have safe spaces for walking. Sidewalks can be made safe and accessible for people using wheelchairs or crutches as required by law, enabling the elderly and persons with disability to enjoy improved mobility.

Similarly, a relatively small investment can create a network of protected bicycle lanes so that people are able to ride a bicycle to their destinations, instead of using a car or motorcycle. Protected bike lanes and related bicycle facilities (bike racks and bike parking areas) are not expensive and can be installed in a very short period (i.e., 12 months or less).

More people on bicycles benefits all of us. If a person uses a bicycle instead of a motorized vehicle, it is one less unit adding to traffic and pollution. If a person uses a bicycle instead of public transport, it frees up a seat on crowded trains, buses and jeepneys. Additionally, the health and climate benefits of more people cycling are considerable.

Front-load the "urban realm enhancements" that are part of the large rail projects. Most rail projects include components for improvement of surrounding areas, including high-quality pedestrian and bicycle access to each train station. Even if the rail service takes many years to become operational, it may be possible to deliver the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure components much earlier, thereby offering early benefits to surrounding communities (and perhaps also compensating for the disturbance that comes with construction activities).

Invest in road-based public transport. Buses, jeepneys and UV Express are the mainstays of the public transport system, yet this sector has been starved of resources and government support for many decades. Although public transportation is an essential service, its provision has been left almost totally to private initiatives. This is visible in the absence of good quality bus and jeepney stops, terminals and garages and in the lack of financing for public utility vehicles.

There are numerous opportunities today for improving the safety, efficiency and quality of public transportation by building attractive and comfortable stops, stations and terminals by making more funding available for fleet expansion and replacement and by placing public utility vehicles on dedicated lanes, enabling them to escape the traffic caused by private vehicles.

Mega-investments with minimal and long-delayed results are what most Filipinos are accustomed to. The benefits from public spending in the transportation sector need to be more tangible, geographically dispersed, equitably distributed, and spread over the short-, medium- and long-term. Before funding another road, bridge or rail project, the Marcos administration should consider alternatives that offer higher, more inclusive and earlier returns for our precious and limited public funds.

Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner, and public transport advocate. He is a co-convenor of the Move As One Coalition. He can be reached at mobilitymatters.ph@yahoo.com or followed on Twitter at @RobertRsiy.