The government’s campaign against ilegally parked vehicles and other obstructions on Mabuhay Lanes—secondary roads used by private motorists avoiding the congested Epifanio de los Santos Avenue—will be a year-round activity.
Thus declared Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Emerson Carlos following the series of road clearing operations conducted in cities of Manila, Parañaque, Pasay, San Juan and Quezon City.
Carlos said the 21 Mabuhay Lanes routes have already been declared by members of the Metro Manila Council, the MMDA’s policy-making body, composed of the 17 Metro mayors, as no-parking zones. The government initially set the duration of the clearing operations along the Mabuhay Lanes from Nov. 2, 2015 until Jan. 2, 2016.
“Our operations will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, but 24 hours bawal talaga pumarada dahil kalsada ‘yan,” Carlos said, noting there is a team monitoring the area if there are still parked vehicles or residents have placed some obstructions along the routes.
He said there will be no issue in towing the illegal parked vehicles to the MMDA’s impounding area in Ultra, Pasig City since the owners could readily pay the fine for the infraction.
“They can claim the cars unlike those colorum vehicles that stay longer in the impounding site,” Carlos said.
Aside from the motor vehicles, the MMDA with the help of members of the National Police-Highway Patrol Group clearing team has also been confiscating the stalls of ambulant vendors and basketball court rings along the Mabuhay Lanes.
So far, more than 200 vehicles have been impounded in the continuing operations while some had been issued with citation tickets.
Secretary to the Cabinet Jose Rene Almendras said the government will get rid of all obstructions along the Mabuhay Lanes until such time that order and smooth traffic flow have been restored in the streets.
“We need to move people in Metro Manila until we build new bridges across Pasig and expand of all those, there will be room,” he said.
MMDA said certain roads will be closed to vehicular traffic in Manila during the five-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation event next week.
The Manila city government reminded the public that during the five-day event, there will be “totally no parking along Roxas Boulevard service road from T.M. Kalaw to Quirino Avenue.”
MMDA chairman Emerson Carlos said his agency coordinated with officials of the Manila District Traffic Enforcement Unit and Traffic Parking Bureau to come up with the traffic management plan in connection with the event.
He urged commuters and motorists to avoid the affected areas and take the alternate routes instead.
Carlos said the MMDA will still enforce the number coding scheme on declared holidays during the Apec summit.
The government suspended classes in all levels and declared no work in government offices on Nov. 17 and 20. Exempted from the suspension are government agencies involved in basic services, security and safety, health and emergency preparedness and Apec-related activities.
Carlos explained that traffic will be a concern even when there are no classes because there are still some employees of private companies who continue to report for work.
The MMDA will also impose a modified truck ban on south route and will take effect from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. which will complement the total closure of both lanes of Roxas Boulevard on the same dates.