Traffic enforcers, street sweepers get 30-minute ‘heat break’

MANILA, Philippines — As temperatures continue to rise in Metro Manila, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is granting its enforcers and street sweepers a heat stroke break of 30 minutes each day.

In a statement, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said he has signed a memorandum circular re-implementing the heat stroke break policy starting April 1 to “protect field personnel from heat exhaustion, heat stroke and heat cramps due to severe heat wave.”

Each on-duty enforcer and street sweeper will have a prescribed heat stroke break, with an additional 15 minutes in case the heat index in Metro Manila reaches 40 degrees Celsius or higher.

“The heat stroke break shall be done alternately by those who are assigned in a particular area to maintain visibility of traffic enforcers and street sweepers and to ensure that field operations are not hampered,” Artes said.

The heat stroke breaks will be allowed until May 31.

Meanwhile, the MMDA said it is “not yet the right time” to expand the number coding in Metro Manila as Traffic Engineering Center OIC Neomie Recio noted that the volume of vehicles on the road is still not near pre-pandemic levels.

As of Thursday, Recio said there were only about 377,000 vehicles the whole day, a far cry from the 405,000 vehicles before the pandemic.

“Based on our data, this is not the right time to expand because, based on the volume and travel time, the traffic is still manageable,” Recio said in Filipino.

The MMDA, she added, is also studying whether or not to impose number coding for one whole day or just for a few hours in a day if the traffic situation in the region worsens.