There's just too many cars on EDSA —MMDA

Published September 7, 2015 4:25pm

While the deployment of Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group has led to some improvement in the traffic situation along EDSA, the sheer volume of vehicles plying the thoroughfare daily hampers goverment efforts to manage the situation.

That's according to Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino, who monitored the situation on Monday, the first day the police unit took over traffic operations at six major chokepoints along EDSA.

“May significant increase ng travel speed sa yellow lane pero talagang volume pa rin ang hindi natin maalis dahil mas nangangailangan ng mobility ang ating mga kababayan during rush hours especially ngayong wala pa tayong modernong mass transit system,” said Tolentino in an interview on Balitanghali on Monday.

On Monday afternoon, MMDA General Manager Corazon Jimenez presented before the Senate traffic data showing that annual average daily traffic along EDSA had ballooned to 360,417 in 2014 from 322,936 in 2010, an increase of 11.6 percent.

President Benigno Aquino III earlier ordered the PNP-HPG to manage traffic in six areas on EDSA, including Balintawak, Cubao, Ortigas, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe and Taft Avenue, taking over from the MMDA in those places.

10-minute improvement

On Monday, travel time along EDSA was cut by at least 10 minutes, HPG director Chief Supt. Arnold Gunnacao claimed.

He added that initial feedback from motorists earlier in the day showed that traffic congestion along EDSA eased a little as a result of the HPG’s deployment.

“There has been some improvements in the traffic. At least 10 minutes ang sinasabing travel time na na-save nila (motorists). That’s just a conservative estimate. We’ll try to improve [on] that,” Gunnacao told reporters at the sidelines of the House Metro Manila development committee’s hearing on the traffic situation in the capital.

Still, traffic jams were noted in three of the six chokepoints where they have been deployed.

Gunnacao said that while traffic along Balintawak going to Quezon Boulevard has become lighter since the deployment of HPG men, he admitted vehicles were still congested along Cubao, Ortigas and Shaw Boulevard.

He attributed the traffic jams to vehicles using single-artery roads after passing through EDSA.

“There’s an influx of vehicles going out of EDSA and using single-artery [roads] like Ortigas Avenue or Meralco Avenue. Almost all of the vehicles are using those roads,” he said.

Provincial buses on C-5

Meanwhile, provincial buses heading to Southern Tagalog provinces from Cubao and Kamuning in Quezon City were directed to use C-5 Road for three hours a day on Monday morning.

Buses headed to Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon from Quezon City took the C-5 Road from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., a move that was expected to rid EDSA of 135 bus units during the morning rush.

While the overall traffic situation in C-5 was reportedly relatively smooth, many bus drivers complained that it was hard to pick up passengers on the new route.

Tolentino said provincial buses were only allowed to pick up passengers at their respective terminals.

“Hindi dapat sila nagpi-pick up kasi sa terminal dapat sila na nagpupuno tapos dere-dretso na sila. Hindi sila commuter bus. 'Yun siguro ang maling notion nila. Ito ang binabago natin. City buses lang ang puwede,” he said.

Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines executive director and spokesperson Alex Yague reiterated the "No Loading and Unloading" rule along EDSA and C-5 for provincial buses to avoid causing traffic and congestion.

He also calls for the cooperation of the public and asks them to proceed to terminals and avoid hailing provincial buses along the main thoroughfare.

“Kaya nagpapasalamat kami sa programa ninyo kasi naipaparating namin sa mga mananakay na papuntang Southern Tagalog, Batangas, Laguna, Bicol, at Visayas, na kung maaari, huwag na silang maghintay sa EDSA. Tumuloy na lamang sila sa terminal ng bus. Mas magiging maluwag at convenient sa kanila,” Yague said in an interview with GMA News TV's Balitanghali.

“Ipapaliwanag natin sa kanila na along C-5, walang loading at unloading. In-allow kami ng MMDA at DOTC na gamitin ang C-5 pero hindi para sa loading and unloading. Ipapaliwanag namin sa mga tsuper at operator na 'yun ang dapat sundin para pare-pareho tayong maluwag ang traffic at lahat ay makikinabang.”

30-second rule

Meanwhile, the 30-second rule was applied to city buses who are assigned several bus stops along EDSA to pick up and drop off passengers.

HPG Spokesperson Supt. Oliver Tanseco said bus drivers responded positively to the said rule.

“Hindi na natin kailangang i-impose kasi 'yung buses ay boluntaryong umaalis kapag nakikita nilang wala nang taong sumasakay. Napakaganda po at natutuwa kami sa suporta at postive response ng bus associations at drivers sa ating call for discipline drivers sa EDSA at Metro Manila,” he said

For the part of the bus drivers, Yague said, “Natutuwa kami sa ganoong pangyayari dahil naipakita namin na may disiplina ang mga bus. Bigyan lang kami ng pagkakataon na maipakita ito at kami naman ay susunod sa batas.”

However, Yague believes that the 30-second rule may not be feasible for the long-term considering the one-door design of most city buses.

“Maganda ang panukala na 'yan, 'yung 30-second rule. Ang problema lang, 'yung mga bus na ginagamit natin sa Metro Manila o sa probinsya, hindi designed para sa mabilisang loading at unloading. Karamihan sa mga bus isa lang ang pintuan, except sa ordinary na dalawa ang pintuan. Makikita naman ng Highway Patrol Group na baka 'yung 30 seconds, magkakaroon ng akunting adjustment kasi iisa lang ang pintuan. Kung may sasakay at bababa, talagang hindi magkakasya ang 30 seconds,” he said. —Bianca Rose Dabu/NB/JST, GMA News

Tags: metromaniladelevopmentauthority, highwaypatrolgroup, francistolentino, edsatraffic