WITH the Philippines as the global leader in traffic, it is important to trace our path to this shameful pinnacle. One reason is that road space has been claimed and preserved for cars, leaving very little for sidewalks, bike lanes, roadside trees and dedicated public transportation lanes. In this column, I discuss how the planning and budgeting system of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is marching all of us relentlessly toward a more car-dependent future by systematically prioritizing all existing and future road space for private motor vehicles.