Open-Closed System

Unlike the South Expressway and the Star Tollway which have yet to be directly linked together, the North Luzon Expressway, the new Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the old Subic Diversion Road are all joined together in one continuous flow.

I found this out during our Lenten sojourn to Zambales to lay our eyes on the touted beauty of Potipot Island off the coast of Candelaria.

My mom-in-law, the wife and I gained entry to the NLEX through the Valenzuela toll gate where we had to pay a toll fee that will take us up to Bocaue. When the toll teller handed me a receipt, I protested that our destination is SCTEX. With some hint of understanding, the teller said that we are entering the “closed” where we have to pay a fix amount up to Bocaue where we will have to get another card to gain entry to the rest of the expressway.

The “open” system was supposed to be in operation from the Bocaue toll gate onwards. For almost twenty minutes, we lined up for the exit toll booth to pay for the distance that we have traveled from Bocaue. We then took a sharp curve towards the elevated interchange that took us to the long line of vehicles queuing for a card to gain entry to the SCTEX. Another half hour passed by before I could lay my hands on that precious access card.

The SCTEX route to Subic is 55 kilometers of well-paved scenic road, portions of which were carved through hills, or what urbanites would often refer to as mountains. The first 53 kilometers of our trip was sheer heaven, as I had to fight the urge to get the speedometer past the 100 km/hr mark, especially in sections where the expressway mobile cars were nowhere to be seen.

Of course, signs proclaiming that speed monitoring is done through radar can be seen every five kilometers or so. But I seriously wonder whether there is any trick behind these signs. I do realize though that keeping the speed limit, radar or no radar, is best for everyone’s health and well-being.

The last two kilometers of the SCTEX was pure hell, as it took us two whole hours to make this short final lap to the Tipo exit gate where we had to pay toll again. Thinking that another long line will be waiting for us at the Subic exit gate, I asked the guys near the exit booth whether this will be the case. They assured us that the toll for the Subic Diversion Road will be collected at the Tipo exit gate of the SCTEX. The rest of the way, they reassured us, would be a breeze.

Could it have been possible that at our entry point in Valenzuela I could have declared that we are going all the way to Subic so that I can pay for the whole stretch once and just present my receipt at the exit gate in Subic? What on earth is the rationale for the “closed” system and the “open” system?

At this time and age where computers and the Internet have made it possible to send missions to the moon and to the other planets in the solar system, why can’t it be possible to do a one-ticket, one-payment system in the NLEX, SCTEX and the Subic Diversion Road? Is the monitoring or the accounting that complicated that no software or system can be used?

It seems that the last thing on the minds of the guys who manage these expressways is the convenience of their customers. Do they belong to our own species? Or are they humanoids who have absolutely no sense of empathy?