Big dreams but little action for Manila's traffic nightmare

Web designer Maria Zurbano kisses her 3-year-old daughter goodbye and sets out in the pre-dawn darkness for a torturous commute through the Philippine capital.

Her ordeal, a return trip of up to six hours every weekday, is expected to get even worse as the number of cars explodes in the chaotic Asian mega-city of more than 12 million people.

Dubbed "carmaggedon" by locals, business leaders are warning Manila could come to a total standstill despite grand government plans to tackle its traffic.