The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced on Friday that it will push through with its plan to ban private vehicles with only the driver inside from the entire highway EDSA starting Wednesday.
This is contrary to their initial statement that single occupancy private vehicles will be banned only in certain segments of EDSA.
MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) scheme, which is how the agency calls the ban, will have a week-long trial on the entirety of EDSA starting Aug. 15 from 7am to 10am and 6pm to 9pm.
“Let us see for one week how the HOV scheme will work. We are calling on the participation of the public,” Garcia said in a statement.
“With the proposed policy, EDSA will have 40 percent less vehicles,” he added.
Garcia said that the ban would congest other thoroughfares and inner roads when it starts. He said that the MMDA will follow the no contact apprehension policy (NCAP), which utilizes closed-circuit television cameras installed along EDSA to monitor and catch traffic violators.
The HOV scheme is MMDA’s short-term solution to decongest the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila.
He told DZMM on Tuesday: “Our roads are very packed. The [car] volume is really huge. We really have to divide the road into segments [for different cars].”
“[People] carpooling is really our target,” said Garcia. He also shared that 70 percent of vehicles have only one occupant, the driver.
Majority of netizens have reacted negatively to the ban, which they said will only make it harder for motorists to travel.
Mannix Bosano wrote sarcastically: “Congratulations to the person in MMDA that (sic) thought of this. You are not only stupid but a complete idiot. It is obvious that traffic will be lighter during this test period since you have asked the hard (driving) working middle class not to use EDSA. But do you really see private vehicles causing traffic in EDSA? All they (we) want is to get to our office (sic) on time.”
“So no, the real cause of traffic are the undisciplined buses that continue to stop, pick up riders any place they want, bus terminals in the heart of Cubao, Pasay, Kamuning area that take forever to load/unload passengers contributing to the slow traffic flow. Do I need to mention the problem in our MRT system,” he added.
Roselle Tanyag Imbao shared: “All the mayors in Metro Manila approved of this because they have drivers, bodyguards with them!! So they are not affected at all!! They can also go to work after lunch and leave work earlyyy!! Of course, without a doubt, they will all think of this proposal as a brilliant idea! You idiots!!!”
Another added that it is limiting a worker’s mobility to go to work. “This policy is limiting our mobility to work or go to work. Our work generates the income taxes you use for [the] road repair and maintenance of EDSA. This policy has an impact not just on transportation but has socioeconomic and trade impact,” wrote Sky Santos.
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