The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Monday said the suspension of “window hours” under the number coding scheme will begin on Oct 17, instead of the original Oct 31 schedule.
The Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (i-ACT) and the Metro Manila Council (MMC) have also agreed to conduct a dry run of the policy from Wednesday, Oct 12, to Friday, Oct 14.
The DOTr said the suspension of the window hours will only run from Oct 17, 2016 to Jan 31, 2017.
The policy shall be implemented on EDSA, C-5, Roxas Boulevard, Alabang – Zapote Road, and in Mandaluyong City. Currently, cities of Makati and Las Piñas do not also implement window hours.
During the window hours of 10am to 3pm, vehicles affected by the number coding scheme are allowed to traverse Metro Manila’s major thoroughfare. The number coding scheme is implemented from 7am to 7pm from Mon to Fri.
The worsening traffic situation in the metropolis and the expected heavy traffic during the holidays prompted transportation officials to consider suspending the window hours.
Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) spokesperson Supt. Elizabeth Velasquez said no ticket will be issued to violators of the no window hours policy during the Oct 12-14 dry run.
And when the policy begins its implementation on Oct 17, vehicles which will just cross EDSA and other thoroughfares will still be exempted from apprehension, Velasquez said.
This story first appeared on ABS-CBN News Online and is republished with permission.
