The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday announced its traffic management measures aimed at easing the anticipated heavier traffic congestion during the Christmas season.
MMDA chairperson Romando Artes said his agency had garnered unanimous support from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), shopping mall operators, water, electricity, and telecommunications companies in implementing traffic alleviation measures during the holidays.
“To address the expected increase in vehicle volume in Metro Manila during the holidays, we need to implement measures to reduce traffic congestion,” said Artes during a press briefing held at the MMDA Head Office in Julia Vargas, Pasig City.
According to the latest data from the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center, as of September 24, there are 421,000 vehicles traveling along EDSA on a daily basis.
Some of the traffic alleviating measures for the Christmas season include:
– Temporary suspension of all road right-of-way excavation activities in Metro Manila from midnight of November 18 to midnight of December 25. This covers road reblocking works, pipe-laying, road upgrading, and other excavation works that may hinder or disrupt the smooth flow of traffic.
Exemptions from the moratorium include government flagship projects, DPWH bridge repair and construction, flood interceptor catchment projects, emergency leak repair, among others.
– Requiring shopping mall operators to submit their respective traffic management plans to the MMDA for their mall sales and other promotional events two weeks before the scheduled dates of such events.
Starting November 18 up to December 25, shopping mall operators in Metro Manila will open at 11 a.m., an hour later than their usual 10 a.m. opening time.
“The closing hours of malls will be at the discretion of the mall operators. However, we encourage them to extend their operating hours to give the public more time to do their errands and last-minute shopping,” emphasized Artes.
There are 131 malls in Metro Manila and 29 of them are located along EDSA.
Mall-wide sales will not be allowed. However, sales at certain stores or outlets inside the mall may be permitted even on weekdays, provided that no announcements, advertisements, or banners are displayed.
Deliveries of shopping mall operators will only be allowed during nighttime, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day, except for perishable goods such as food and ice.
Furthermore, Artes mentioned that the MMDA will request the Department of Transportation to extend the operating hours of the public transport system, especially the EDSA Bus Carousel, LRT, and MRT, to accommodate late-night commuters and mall employees.
Representatives from SM Malls, Robinson’s, Ayala Malls, Meralco, PLDT, Globe, DITO, Maynilad, and Manika Water were among those who attended the meeting.
