Gotcha

The problem with local traffic cops -- police, MMDA, MAPSA -- is that they think their job is to catch people. It is not. A traffic enforcer is supposed to ease the flow of traffic and traffic rules are there to help facilitate this. The power to issue tickets is only the stick used to enforce the rules that are supposed to help unclog the streets.

Lying in wait, like a trapdoor spider, while a motorist confused by ever-changing rules and obfuscated signs misses the point entirely.

Of course their goals are different from society's. While we are willing to submit to inconvenient policies (like Makati's loading/unloading areas) for a faster commute, the traffic cops seem to think that the rules are there so that they can catch more people.

What they should do is warn us. Stop motorists if they're making illegal turns. Have some guy wave his arms to show that the yellow lane is for buses only. Don't look the other way and then converge on me if I make a mistake: I will argue with you and we will end up blocking the road for a longer time, defeating the purpose of those rules.

You don't wait for the guy to shoot so you can charge him with murder.