DPWH draws up list of solutions to traffic mess

MANILA, Philippines - Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson wants vehicles carrying fewer than three passengers banned on EDSA during peak hours – from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. – to ease traffic gridlocks.

However, this could only be implemented once alternate routes are opened to accommodate the rest of the private motorists, he said during the hearing on the DPWH’s proposed 2016 budget at the Senate yesterday.

Strict enforcement of the no tint for windshield rule would also have to be implemented so traffic enforcers would be able to see the number of people inside vehicles, Singson said.?“The defined problem is that there are just too many vehicles with the limited capacity of EDSA,” he said.

The government is working on three strategies to maximize the use of EDSA, Singson said.

The first two – getting more people to take the Metro Rail Transit and the bus rapid transport system – would take time because the new coaches for the MRT have not yet arrived, he added.

The best option to be implemented immediately is to maximize use of the two bus lanes or the yellow lane along EDSA, Singson said.

The idea is to get the buses moving at an average 25 kilometers per hour along the yellow lane, he added.

At this pace, the buses would be able to traverse EDSA from Balintawak to the Mall of Asia in Pasay City and vice versa in an hour, with each bus being able to make six trips a day, Singson said.

“So in effect we are bringing back strict discipline and road enforcement on these two bus lanes,” he said.

The third lane would be dedicated to motorcycles, and the last two for private vehicles, he added. – Marvin Sy, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Mike Frialde