THE Quezon City government will keep major roads and even inner streets open and stop the practice of road closures to give way to wakes, karaoke sessions during birthdays or other celebrations, livelihood activities and barangay programs in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to ease traffic in Metro Manila.
Police superintendent Elmo San Diego (retired), the city’s Department of Public Order and Safety chief, vowed “to strengthen the policy of keeping secondary roads open at all times.”
San Diego said traffic enforcers will still be manning the streets at dark and the city government is deploying 100 of them in shifts.
Mayor Herbert Bautista has given San Diego the green light to field night-shift traffic personnel on major roads from 6 p.m. to midnight.
He announced the opening of additional alternate lanes to prevent traffic from building up along major thoroughfares.
The new alternative routes include Epifanio de los Santos Avenue from Quezon City to Mandaluyong City and Makati City, North Luzon Expressway to Marikina City, Makati and San Juan City, San Juan and Mandaluyong to Quezon City, and Marikina and Pasig City to Quezon City.
Based on the alternative routes, West Avenue will be open for private motorist coming from Edsa going to Mandaluyong City and Makati City, while Quezon City’s Mindanao Avenue will be used as alternate route by private vehicles from NLEX to Marikina, Makati and San Juan.
The MMDA has identified at least 77 metro chokepoints where the President can use his emergency powers to resolve the perennial traffic woes.
According to San Diego, in Quezon City alone, at least 13 chokepoints are identified, including Boni Serrano Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Timog Avenue, E. Rodriguez Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, C.P. Garcia Avenue, Magsaysay Avenue, Capitol Intersection, Luzon flyover, J.P. Rizal, Ayala Heights Rotunda, Miriam gate and Ateneo gate.
He, however, gave the assurance that a good number of traffic personnel will be fielded daily to ensure the smooth flow of traffic, especially in various chokepoints identified by MMDA.