Bulacan mayors urge return of cash lanes amid RFID mess

The League of Municipalities of Bulacan on Thursday released a manifesto urging the government to return the cash lanes and halt the RFID system to reduce heavy traffic along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), according to Saleema Refran’s report on “24 Oras.”

“Maglagay muna ng temporary cash lanes para hindi humaba ang pila. Parang nirereklamo namin actually dito, ‘yung mahabang pila na nung minsan kasagsagan nito, umabot ng limang kilometro,” league president and Guiguinto Mayor Ambrosio Cruz Jr. said.

“So naapektuhan ‘yung negosyo, naapektuhan ‘yung commuters, naapektuhan ‘yung mga motorists,” he added.

The problems were already seen in the initial audit of the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), leading them to lay down solutions to toll operators.

“The instruction to the operator is to relocate po ‘yung mga plaza particularly po doon po sa may Balintawak, . . . although hindi po nago-operate ngayon ‘yung Karuhatan and then the Mindanao Plaza,” TRB executive director Abraham Sales said.

“I believe na ‘yun po talaga ‘yung nag-cause ng traffic congestion sa lugar na ‘yun. In addition po sa mga glitches na naobserbahan din po in the past,” he added.

Emergency lanes are used as transaction lanes during rush hour while broken and defective RFID sensors and tags are being replaced.

Meanwhile, the NLEX management has started the refund of the fees it collected in Valenzuela despite its suspended business permit.

It also vowed to coordinate with the city and other local governments to reduce the traffic.—Joahna Lei Casilao/LDF, GMA News