THE travel time of motorists along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue has been reduced by 28 minutes despite the heavy volume of vehicles this holiday season, Metro Manila Development Authority acting chairman Thomas Orbos said Friday.
Orbos said a comparative survey done by his agency showed a substantial decrease in travel time from Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City to Monumento in Caloocan City and vice versa.
The survey showed on December 22 the travel time was one hour and 10 minutes compared to last year’s average of one hour, 39 minutes on the same date.
He added there was an increase in travel speed from 13.91 kilometers per hour taken on December 22 last year to 19.54 kilometers per hour on December 22 this year, or a 5.63 kph increase.
The MMDA noted the total vehicle volume count along Edsa on December 21 last year was 346,030 compared to 357,529 on December 21 this year, or an 11,499 increase in vehicular volume.
Orbos and other MMDA officials expressed gratitude to motorists for their continuous support, understanding, and cooperation with the agency in implementing various measures in the past months to improve the traffic situation in the metropolis.
Orbos said both public and private motorists alike have been very helpful and cooperative with concerned government agencies in easing the traffic condition in Metro Manila.
“With Christmas just around the corner and when traffic is expected to be heaviest during the holidays in almost [all] major thoroughfares in Metro Manila, the cooperation of the public and private sectors has been vital in improving the traffic flow,” he said.
The MMDA chief cited the motoring public’s cooperation when several barriers and delineators were removed from portions of Edsa.
Even without these barriers, motorists still follow the traffic rules, particularly the Yellow Lane, which is exclusively for public passenger buses, Orbos added.
Orbos also noted the initiatives of motorcycle riders federations and public transport groups in helping and coming out with stakeholder-specific solutions to traffic in recent months.
“The agency is also grateful to these groups who made it possible for the strict enforcement of our existing traffic rules and regulations. With their ranks’ cooperation, a semblance of discipline can now be seen in our roads,” he said.
Aside from the cooperation of various stakeholders, Orbos said the agency, along with the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic, also started strictly enforcing the Nose-In, Nose-Out Policy for provincial buses along Edsa.
“We have been making headway in decongesting these areas where the provincial bus terminals are located along Edsa with our stringent enforcement of the Nose-In, Nose-Out Policy,” he added.
Members of the Metro Manila Council, the governing board and the policy-making body of the MMDA, are likewise appreciative of the traffic management by the MMDA field personnel in an effort to speed up traffic flow in the metropolis.
Apart from MMDA, I-ACT is composed of the Department of Transportation, Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the MMC.