MMDA wants ideas to solve EDSA traffic woes

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is encouraging the public to pitch their ideas – backed by research – on how to solve the worsening traffic congestion along EDSA, an official said yesterday.

The agency would be “always open for suggestions from different groups of people,” MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago said in an interview.

She pointed out, however, that proposals to solve EDSA traffic should be “backed up by research and data.”

The MMDA had been receiving proposals to address EDSA traffic problems since 2017, but those were either “very vague” or “very common,” like a proposal for a coding scheme based on color but no research supported the proposal, she said.

The suggestions would be brought to the agency’s engineering consultants before being discussed within the agency and later on with the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the MMDA’s policy-making body composed of Metro Manila’s 17 mayors.

The agency would later on have the proponents present their pitches before the MMC. Once approved, Pialago said the MMDA would “support in any way we can” the proponents in terms of further study.

Previously, mechanical engineer Fernando Guevara proposed making EDSA purely southbound and C-5 Road northbound. Along with this, he also pitched 96 bus stops along the EDSA – C-5 loop be installed.

Ariston Gorospe Jr., a former consultant of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., said the government should implement a coding scheme for private cars based on the brand.

He also proposed that the government punish motorists by suspending their cars’ registration for one month and imposing hefty fines.