THE Metro Manila Development Authority has advised motorists and commuters to brace for heavy traffic in the metropolis, the last Friday and working day before Christmas, due to the influx of last-minute shoppers and people going to provinces.
“Heaviest traffic happens during the last Friday [before Christmas] because of the influx of shoppers. People are also going to provinces, so expect huge crowd at the airport and bus terminals,” said Noemie Recio, head of the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center.
But last Friday, according to Recio, the flow of traffic along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue was light to moderate.
“We didn’t expect that. What we expected was a standstill on Edsa but the traffic is moving and fast. Maybe because the people are afraid to go out and anticipating heavy traffic that day,” said Recio.
MMDA officials also advised the people to do their Christmas shopping early and try to avoid holiday rush and suggested that shoppers to visit commercial centers nearest to their homes to avoid being trapped in traffic jams.
They explained that shopping malls and other commercial establishments are traffic generators during the Christmas holidays.
Mall operators earlier agreed with the MMDA proposal to have staggered business hours to ease road congestion during the peak buying season.
Recio said the agency will deploy 600 traffic enforcers in three shifts to manage traffic on seven identified choke points on Edsa.
The MMDA earlier declared that there will be no number coding scheme in Metro Manila in anticipation of the Holiday exodus.
MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos said his agency will also suspend the implementation of the scheme or the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program on December 29 in time for the celebration of Rizal Day.
The move, according to Orbos, was made following observation that people are going out of Metro Manila during these days to visit and be with relatives and families in the provinces during the Holidays.
He said the UVVRP suspension will help the public to use their vehicles to travel to their respective destinations outside the metropolis.
In Makati City, the local government announced the lifting of number coding on December 26 and 30, and on January 2.