A BUS rapid transport lane system has been proposed for Makati City to decongest traffic in the Central Business District and enable residents, workers and visitors to go from one place to another without spending too much time on the road.
The proposal for the BRT project, according to Makati Commercial Estate Association governor Manuel Blas II, has been submitted to the Department of Transportation.
“Our estimated cost is between P800 million to P1 billion,” said Blas, adding the BRT lane will be situated at the center island of the Central Business District of Makati.
“Our center island now where we have the [Christmas] decors, those will be replaced by the BRT lane, physically segregated lane just for the buses and cars can’t enter it. Stations will be at the center and the way to access that, from sidewalk go down the underground walkway then go to the middle,” said Blas.
The master plan for the project, according to Macea, was shown to DOTr Secretary Arturo Tugade.
“In our current plan, subject to approval, we put the dedicated BRT lanes, stations and the access to stations. Then we are going to pulse the buses that are going to turn right to Ayala from Edsa [Epifanio de los Santos Avenue] because the concept of BRT, you think trains but use buses,” Blas said.
Macea vice president architect William Coscolluela said the BRT project would give convenience to the public, especially to the people working at the Central Business District.
“If you notice, most people hanging out on Ayala Avenue during peak hour [form] a long line, they’re going to Edsa, to Taft Avenue. With the cooperation of the city government to work on BRT system, everything is in place. We have Mr. Tugade, let him know that we might go ahead with this. It will be the first in Manila if we do the BRT system. Like in Cebu and Indonesia which are very successful. We’ll soon work on this development,” he said.
The project was proposed in 2011 but it was not pushed during the term of then President Benigno Aquino III.
Then Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay even wrote a letter to former DoTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya and sought urgent action on the proposal, which he had favorably endorsed to Abaya’s predecessor Jose de Jesus.
The mayor also expressed concern about the “inexplicable delay” it has taken the DoTC to formally respond to the proposal.
Based on the original proposal, the BRT will connect Metro Railway Transit Ayala Station to the Light Railway Transit Buendia Station, starting from the corner of Edsa and Ayala Avenue and traversing Ayala Avenue, turning left at Gil Puyat (Buendia) and ending at the LRT Line 1 Buendia Station along Taft Avenue.
The project is envisioned to help alleviate traffic congestion within the city and provide a world-class mass transit facility to the residents and employees working in Makati CBD.
