MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila’s traffic situation, regarded as being one of the world’s worst even on a normal day, is seen to further worsen this weekend.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) advised commuters and the general public to prepare for this weekend’s “horrendous” traffic due to the holiday rush.
“For the past how many years, we have data that show that this weekend will be one of the most horrendous in terms of traffic,” Transportation Assistant Secretary Mark de Leon said in an interview with One News’ Agenda.
“People will be leaving for their provinces. People will be going shopping, last minute shopping. So our major thoroughfares including the roads leading to these thoroughfares, especially those around shopping malls, hotels and commercial establishments, all of that will be very much congested,” he explained.
Also projected to be affected by heavy traffic congestion this weekend are those roads that would lead to seaports, airports and bus terminals, he added.
He warned commuters to brace themselves for the congestion as “everywhere you go there will be traffic.”
Traffic in Metro Manila has been infamously known as being among the worst globally. Foreign business leaders have been lamenting the worsening traffic situation in the country, saying the condition is making Metro Manila and key cities in the provinces “uninhabitable.”
The Japan International Cooperation Agency reported in February that the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila is now costing the country P3.5 billion in missed economic opportunities daily, a significant rise from the estimate of P2.4 billion in 2014.
Meanwhile, a study commissioned by ride sharing company Uber in November last year showed Manila as ranking among the worst cities in Asia when it comes to the time people spend daily in traffic gridlock. It also showed that people in Manila have the third longest average time being stuck in traffic every day at 66 minutes.
Metro Pacific Investments Corp.-unit NLEX Corp., the concessionaire for the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), is expecting traffic volume to surge by 10 percent in its system these coming holidays. It has started putting in place measures to aid motorists.
NLEX said it is ready to implement its motorist assistance program to ensure hassle-free travel during holidays in NLEX-SCTEX given the expected increase in traffic volume, including extended working hours for traffic personnel, opening of additional toll lanes, setting up of counterflow lanes in strategic areas and free towing services.