GMA checks new EDSA bus stops

President Arroyo will personally conduct a walk-through inspection of EDSA today to evaluate whether or not traffic in the 24-km. highway has indeed improved over the past months.

Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando said he will specifically visit some of the 15 new provincial bus stops put up by the agency in November as its latest solution to traffic build-ups in the busy thoroughfare.

According to Fernando, the President wants to personally assess traffic situations in areas near loading and unloading stations on both northbound and southbound directions.

Fernando said he was earlier directed to conceptualize a new traffic improvement project after observing that the sharing of bus stops among some 2,500 provincial buses and some 3,000 city buses has contributed to traffic congestion along EDSA.

During the inspection, the Chief Executive will get to see how the organized bus route (OBR) system using radio frequency identification technology being implemented by the MMDA to control the dispatch of city buses from terminals based on passenger demand has restored order and discipline among public utility vehicle drivers.

Fernando will also show the President various traffic geometric improvements such as U-turn slots, footbridges, pink fences, gantries, directional signs, pavement markings and curbs, all of which he said, were undertaken to further improve the flow of traffic along major roads and ensure the safety of motorists, commuters, pedestrians and the general public.

The MMDA has put up nine north-bound and six southbound loading and unloading bays between EDSA’s Balintawak and Magallanes major entry points, complete with signages.

The third lane of EDSA is currently devoted to provincial buses while the first and second lanes are dedicated for city buses to facilitate the transfer of passengers without hampering the flow of traffic. – Michael Punongbayan