Many people thought MMDA’s traffic experiments — no U-turn here, no left turn there, through-traffic everywhere — were pulled from a hat marked "Use in case BF wants new ideas to improve traffic."

They can’t be blamed for thinking that way because some of the experiments seemed haphazard to some and dangerous to others. New ideas came out every so often, most throwing away a lot of pre-conceived ideas about how to regulate traffic, some even throwing out signal lights.

And only the MMDA seemed to think the ideas worked, trotting out stats, charts, percentages to support its theory the experiments worked. While others, a lot of them mayors, claimed MMDA stats were pulled out from another hat called "Use in case BF wants to defend traffic experiments."

Then there is TEC Director Ramon Ona, caught on videotape in an interview for the longest running auto TV program, Motoring Today, showing off a computer simulation of Commonwealth Avenue, with all the old traffic engineering schemes MMDA believes in.

The fences to delineate bus unloading and unloading zones. Special yellow lanes for buses. Wide roofless pedestrian overpasses.

The simulation also showed elevated U-turns, a new idea espoused by the MMDA as an improvement over at-grade U-turns that was last year’s favorite traffic improvement concept implemented in major thoroughfares.

We have heard of software designed to simulate the flow of traffic given the number of vehicles on the road at a given time and the kind of traffic systems in place: the timing of traffic light changes, the number of lanes, the existence of merging lanes, intersections, etc. Or even obstructions like stalled vehicles.

The software is designed to help traffic engineers lay out streets and highways to enhance safety and the flow of vehicles.

If the MMDA simulation of Commonwealth Avenue with all the improvements it plans to implement accurately predict reality, driving through Commonwealth Avenue — now considered the most dangerous thoroughfare in the country — will be a breeze in the future.

It will become one long through-street with virtually no intersections. At least three lanes on each side will be dedicated to private motorists. To turn left, vehicles can take elevated U-turns just past the intersections and then turn right.

Public utility vehicles will have their own lanes. Loading and unloading zones will be delineated by fences.

There will also be bike lanes and wide sidewalks and elevated walkways for pedestrians.

From the looks of it, the MMDA plans to make Commonwealth Avenue, a showcase for the effectiveness of its various schemes that it has been implementing in the metropolis over the last couple of years.

On the simulation, elevated U-turns looks like it’s the perfect solution to replace some at grade level U-turns. MMDA says it can build them easily and at lower cost than tunnels or overpasses, although these could only be implemented in wide thoroughfares.

But one thing bothers us about the simulation. Can it factor in various levels of driving skill and behavior of the Filipino driver?

Some people think the U-turns work if drivers learn to merge alternately to allow those making U-turns to safely change lanes to make a right turn.

Dedicated lanes for public buses and private motorists will work if only both won’t encroach on the other. And designated loading and unloading zones will work only if buses won’t use them like bus terminals, moving on only after they have had their fill of passengers.

During his interview with Motoring Today, Ona unwittingly presented a perfect example of how bad driver habits work against engineering solutions to managing traffic flow.

The EDSA-Shaw Boulevard junction has three major engineering traffic scheme — a flyover, an underpass, and an at grade intersection with signal lights. Traffic congestion is still bad at the area because buses — and commuters — tend to use the service road as a terminal.

It should be pretty interesting to see if a software program can factor in various levels of discipline or ill-discipline into a simulation. We think it can be a great teaching aid, just to show drivers — public or private — and pedestrians, how discipline can really improve traffic.

Just think of it, a simulation program to show a pedestrian texting while crossing the road getting run over by a bus which ignored a signal light. Or how merging alternately can keep traffic moving as opposed to a free-for-all with everyone honking their horns and flashing headlights to get ahead of everybody else.