MMDA says Metro Manila traffic may breach pre-pandemic level by June
MANILA, Philippines — The vehicular traffic seen along Metro Manila's thoroughfares could breach pre-pandemic levels by June, the Metro Manila Development Authority predicted Thursday.
MMDA chairman Romando Artes made this statement over ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo on Thursday afternoon, adding that this projection was due to the resumption of face-to-face classes in the capital region's schools.
"There are still no classes now, so if we do have face-to-face classes in June, we can expect the number to increase. And it looks like we'll breach the 405,000 which was the pre-pandemic level," he said in Filipino.
Per MMDA data, 300,000 vehicles were sold in the past year alone. In an earlier meeting before President Rodrigo Duterte, Artes said that anywhere between 60 to 70% of those cars go in and out of Metro Manila. Artes mentioned these figures again Thursday but said the number went up.
"Considering that it's already so many right now after the two years of the pandemic, more or less, half a million vehicles were added to the streets," he said in Filipino.
Asked for solutions, Artes brought up the MMDA's earlier proposals for two days of number coding per week and to start the work days of government employees earlier than usual.
Earlier, the MMDA also moved to keep provincial buses off EDSA by implementing a "gentleman's agreement" that prohibits buses coming from outside the NCR from using their private terminals along EDSA.
"We cannot disregard the benefits [this] would offer in promoting mobility therein, as it is being eyed as one of the necessary solutions in addressing the traffic congestion," the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said in a statement earlier.
This, despite data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showing that only some 4,000 provincial buses use Metro Manila’s roads out of a total of 2.8 million vehicles.
READ: Government studies earlier work hours for state offices to ease traffic
Why does this matter?
In a 2018 study, the Japan International Cooperation Agency said that traffic costs the Philippines P3.5 billion in "lost opportunities" daily. The amount is expected to triple in number by the year 2030.
Commuter and transport groups have been warning anew of another public transportation crisis brewing as more and more people go back to on-site work and face-to-face classes despite public transportation still being largely inadequate.
Earlier, commuter advocacy group The Passenger Forum says this crisis was an extension the same one from before the pandemic, which was only smoke screened by the coronavirus-induced lockdowns but ultimately went unsolved.
"This is a daily problem. There are just times where it's more highlighted, because the problem gets worse and it doubles, triples, quadruples...there are many variables that stack up, but the number of PUVs is really too little," Primo Morillo, the group's convenor, told Philstar.com earlier in a phone call.
"We expect more shock…there's just going to be a bit of reprieve after these elections. [...] But we'll enter another shock, and it will be the exact same...We know that's going to happen."
READ: Gov't unapologetic on 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. 'agreement' for provincial buses
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