THE Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group on Monday turned over to the Metro Manila Development Authority the full control and management of traffic on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
“Starting today, we will take over traffic along Edsa. If you see any HPG men there, it’s just a skeletal force,” said MMDA Traffic Engineering Center chief Noemie Recio.
The HPG personnel will now concentrate on handling the traffic management and control on two other major roads in the metropolis—the Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City and the Circumferential Road-5 (C-5 Road).
“We have a good result. At 6:30 a.m. we are already here at the command center and the traffic on Edsa went smoothly,” said Recio. “We can’t resolve traffic but what we can do is to find a way to keep the motorists moving.”
“We have the traffic enforcement, education, we have personnel, equipment and knowledge skills. What we need now is dedication to do our job,” she added.
Aside from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program or Number Coding Scheme, the MMDA is also enforcing the truck ban on Edsa and other major thoroughfares.
On Roxas Boulevard, trucks and heavy vehicles, such as container vans, are exempted from the truck ban if they are participating in the Terminal Appointment Booking System, the MMDA said.
TABS is an electronic platform for booking containers at the Manila International Container Terminal and Asian Terminals Inc. which was developed to minimize road traffic and prevent port congestion.
The TABS-registered trucks should be on the dedicated lane along Roxas Boulevard.
The MMDA adopted the TABS to reduce the number of trucks during traffic peak hours without affecting the total number of imports and exports going in and out of Port of Manila.
Those vehicles not participating in TABS should observe the regular truck ban hours from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., except Sundays and holidays in all roads of Metro Manila.
The MMDA also reiterated that it will continue to implement the One Truck Lane Policy along C-5 Road, Katipunan Avenue, Congressional Road, Mindanao Avenue and Radial Road 10.
Heavy trucks, including garbage trucks, are covered by the total truck ban along Edsa, the MMDA said. All truck ban exemptions are exclusively issued by MMDA to truckers going in and out of Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos will be holding a consultation meeting this week with owners and operators of school bus service providers, armored vans, funeral transport providers, driving schools and members of motorcycle federations to come up with stakeholders-specific solutions to traffic in Metro Manila.
Orbos said his agency is continuously finding ways and solutions to further improve the traffic condition in the metropolis.