An opposition lawmaker on Monday warned that the country’s primary tollways—the South Luzon Expressway and the North Luzon Expressway—were bound to become oversized parking lots just like Edsa during the holidays because of their inferior tollgate systems.
And with the expected influx of motorists going in and out of Metro Manila before and after All Saints’ Day, senior deputy minority leader and Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza said that people were again expected to bear the brunt of being trapped in monstrous traffic jams due to the slow transition of vehicles passing through the tollgates.
Atienza noted that despite the tollgate upgrades that now allow motorists to use the so-called beep cards and RFID (radio-frequency identification) stickers, the flow of vehicles is being snagged by the slow lifting response of their barriers.
“I’ve been to countries like Singapore where there are no barriers at entry and exit points in their expressways which definitely allow faster and smoother flow of traffic. The RFID system should ensure the smooth flow of traffic along our expressways,” Atienza said.
“These expressways are run by big private corporations and we are paying premium rates with the expectation that we will have a more comfortable and hassle-free travel. But as it is now, it looks like our expressways are becoming our new EDSA because we have inferior tollgate systems,” he added.
Atienza pointed out that motorists are encountering many problems with the current system, among them instances where the barriers do not automatically open because of the failure of the scanners to detect the vehicles’ RFID.
He added that the toll management must be able to brace itself for the coming holiday season where the flow of traffic also expressways are expected to worsen.
“This early, our toll operators should start upgrading their system,” Atienza said.