The Metro Manila Development Authority on Wednesday announced that all lanes of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, except the yellow lanes designated for public utility vehicles, would be used for its High Occupancy Vehicle lanes traffic scheme to be enforced soon.
“Yes, all lanes except yellow lanes. [But this is] during rush hours only,” said MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. in a text message to Manila Standard.
This means private vehicles occupied by a single rider or a driver without companions will be totally banned from using Edsa from 7 am to 10 am and from 6 pm to 9 pm, from Monday to Friday.
Meanwhile, the government’s crackdown on illegal parking, vendors and other road obstructions continue in efforts to solve the worsening traffic problem in Metro Manila.
The MMDA is also seeking the assistance of the Department of the Interior and Local Government to go against irresponsible barangay officials who either protect or just ignore the presence of all obstructions in their respective area of jurisdiction.
Last Tuesday, combined forces from the MMDA and the city government of Manila cleared and demolished all road obstructions, including a barangay hall of Barangay 235, Zone 22 District II, which encroaching the sidewalk of Villaruel Street.
MMDA chairman Danilo Lim said the agency had notified repeatedly the barangay officials to remove the structure but to no avail.
“This intensified campaign against obstructions is meant to show that we are serious in our job to clear the roads,” Lim said.
The MMDA suspended the implementation of the HOV scheme last year following confusion and negative reactions from motorists. Traffic enforcers of the agency also encountered problems as heavily-tinted vehicles used the special lane, which prevented them from apprehending possible violators.
Last time, the MMDA designated one lane only for HOV scheme, which is the innermost lane of EDSA, closest to the Metro Railway Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) wall.
But on Tuesday, the MMDA made the announcement that it will enforce the policy after members of the Metro Manila Council, which composed of the 17 mayors in the National Capital Region and the governing board and policy-making body of the MMDA, gave the agency the go signal for its full implementation, this time using all three lanes on both sides of the 23.8-km highway.
The HOV scheme, according to Garcia, is formulated to encourage motorists to engage in ridesharing and further improve traffic along Edsa.
With the new scheme, the MMDA is hoping a decrease by 30 percent the number of private vehicles traversing along Edsa
The agency, however, clarified that it was still formulating guidelines and mechanics on how it will fully enforce the policy.
“When it comes to guidelines, implementing rules and regulations and penalties, these are still the subjects of discussion. We can’t answer you on that at this moment,” MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago told members of the media.
Should the HOV measure be fully implemented, violators will be slapped with citation ticket and corresponding fine for disregarding traffic sign.