The Metro Manila Development Authority on Wednesday said the deployment of 2,400 traffic enforcers to assist police personnel managing traffic is not enough to grapple with the holiday travel rush.
“Sa laki kasi ng Metro Manila, we lacked personnel to handle traffic,” said lawyer Crisanto Saruca, chief of the MMDA Traffic Discipline Office.
He said MMDA Chairman Emerson Carlos ordered the deployment of all traffic constables assigned in three shifting schedules to help the Police Highway Patrol Group in manning traffic on major thoroughfares, especially along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
Saruca explained that during the holiday season, people go to shopping malls, restaurants, entertainment centers, and other commercial districts, resulting in the increased vehicle volume in the metropolis.
“We have our Christmas parties in schools, houses and other venues. We go gift shopping for our loved ones,” said Saruca, citing the reasons for the overcrowding along Edsa and other major thoroughfares.
He added increase in traffic volume can also be attributed to the influx of people and vehicles coming from Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon to go shopping, visit and spend the holidays with friends and relatives.
Saruca said the holiday rush slows the flow of traffic in Metro Manila brought about by the huge volume of vehicles, exceeding the capacity of Edsa by 75 percent.
The Edsa’s carrying capacity is 160,000 vehicles per direction. Before the holiday season, 260,000 vehicles travel per direction along the main thoroughfare on a daily basis.
Senator Francis Escudero earlier called on the MMDA to deploy its traffic enforcers to other major road arteries to complement its counterparts at the Highway Patrol Group stationed along Edsa.
Escudero’s move came after he noticed the lack of traffic enforcers manning other major roads last week, when traffic was expected to be heavy because of Christmas parties and last-minute shopping.
“We have put so much attention on trying to fix the traffic on Edsa and it seems that traffic elsewhere have been overlooked just like last Friday when I received many text and social media messages about the absence of MMDA traffic enforcers on major national Metro Manila roads,” he said.
The senator suggested that for the remaining days before Christmas, the MMDA extend the working hours of its traffic enforcers or to create a temporary rotation scheme wherein major intersections could be manned from morning until 10 p.m.
Traffic along Edsa affected other major arteries and side streets last Friday that lasted well into the wee hours of Saturday.
Reports said motorists got stuck in heavy traffic on northbound roads leading to Quiapo and on to Quezon City as wells as other highways like Bonifacio Avenue in Caloocan, Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City, Pasay Road in Makati City, and Quirino Avenue and Osmeña Highway in Manila.
From all the reports he got, Escudero said that most of the traffic was caused by the absence of traffic enforcers at major intersections other than Edsa.
“We should not only focus on traffic management on Edsa but also on other major arteries where continuous horrendous traffic has put a damper on the holiday celebration of our people,” he said.