The government will begin next month implementing the ban on daytime delivery of goods to shopping malls and other commercial centers in Metro Manila in line with the program to ease traffic in the metropolis as the Christmas season draws near.
General manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. of the Metro Manila Development Authority said mall owners agreed limiting deliveries of non-perishable goods only at nighttime or from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
He added the ban would be implemented from Nov. 11 until Jan. 10 next year.
Delivery trucks and container vans loaded with goods, imported items and other saleable merchandise, piled up the streets of Metro Manila, which the government claimed, add to the worsening traffic during “ber months”—in reference to the months of September, October, November and December.
Garcia, however, clarified that deliveries of perishable goods such as food and ice cream were exempted from the ban.
In a meeting with MMDA officials last Tuesday, mall operators also gave their nod to the plan to begin their operations by 11 a.m., an hour later from the usual 10 a.m. opening time, during weekdays;
The shopping centers will also deploy additional security personnel to facilitate long lines of vehicles going inside mall parking areas which cause traffic gridlock.
Shopping malls and other commercial establishments are said to be traffic generators during the holiday season.
MMDA records showed that traffic volume rises 15 to 20 percent between November and December. It also showed that “midnight sales” or extended mall business hours contribute to the worsened traffic in the metropolis during this period.
The agency is also expecting the traffic volume to increase because of the influx of people and vehicles coming from various provinces in Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon.
Garcia reiterated that these measures have been laid down to somehow reduce anticipated traffic congestion, particularly along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
“Traffic is already bad and we expect it to get worse as the number of vehicles increases daily,” said Garcia.
There are at least 100 shopping malls in Metro Manila.