Slowly does it

Even with a perfect transport plan, Manila would probably have a problem. The population of the entire capital area rose from 18m to 23m between 2000 and 2010. It is dense: Shlomo Angel of New York University, who measures cities, estimates that it crammed 274 people into each hectare a decade ago, compared with 64 per hectare in Paris—and Manila will have got only more squashed since. What is more, the capital has an unfortunate hourglass shape. The middle, which contains the main business districts, is pinched by Manila bay to the west and Laguna lake to the east. Suburbs sprawl to the north and south. So traffic is funnelled, and the funnel often blocks up.