Metro Manila mayors approve traffic schemes along EDSA

August 7, 2018

Metro Manila mayors approved the implementation of the high occupancy vehicle (HOV)  lanes along EDSA during rush hours.

In a statement by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), it said only those vehicles with two or more passengers would have the privilege to traverse EDSA.

“We have a data that 70 percent of vehicles along EDSA carry only the driver,” said MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia.

Garcia said they will craft the guidelines of the measure and will conduct a dry run before its full implementation.

“We hope to encourage carpooling with the HOV scheme,” said Garcia.   The Metro Manila Council also approved the increase in exemption fee for the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program from P300 to 1,000.

Select provincial buses coming from the north shall end its route at the Valenzuela Interim Terminal while those coming from the south shall end their route at South Interim Provincial Terminal.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) gained the approval of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) for these two traffic-mitigating measures along EDSA.

The MMC, composed of the Metro Manila Mayors, gave their go signal during the MMC meeting, presided by MMDA chairman Danilo Lim, in Mandaluyong City. The MMC is the governing and policy-making body of the MMDA.

In spite of approving the plan for provincial buses, Garcia said they are still contemplating whether to push for its implementation on August 15.

“Mayor Rex Gatchalian gave his 100 percent support. However, we have to fix some facilities and other infrastructure at the Valenzuela Interim Terminal. We are not in a hurry to implement the policy as we want to make sure everything is in order,” Garcia told reporters after the meeting. DMS