Metro Manila traffic

The Metro Manila Development Authority reports that it met with the members of the Metro Manila Council to approve the use of body-worn cameras will prevent traffic enforcers and motorists to accept and offer bribes.

It is meeting, the MMDA says that the recordings from the body cameras will be linked to the MMDA Command Center and would serve as an evidence for complaints about illegal transaction between a traffic enforcer and a motorist.

MMDA says it will also turn over 30  handheld ticketing devices, hardware, and dual sim with two- year subscription in the first five local government untis that rolled out the Single Ticketing System. These are the San Juan, Valenzuela, Parañaque, Caloocan and Muntinlupa City government QC government has its own handheld ticketing device for their enforcement operations.

Metro Manila Development Authority acting chair Don Artes reminds motorists to follow traffic rules even if the No Contact Apprehension Policy is no longer implemented.

The MMDA records 256,977 traffic violations since the NCAP was suspended in August last year.

The traffic authority cites the disregard to traffic signs, Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program or number coding, Loading/Unloading, Obstruction, Dress Code, Attended Illegal Parking, Anti Distracted Driving Act (ADDA), Reckless Driving, at No Crash Helmet, as among these traffic violations. 

Patuloy na pinapaalalahanan ni MMDA Acting Chairman Atty. Don Artes ang mga motorista na pairalin ang disiplina at sumunod sa batas trapiko kahit walang No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP).

Kahit suspendido ang pagpapatupad ng NCAP, patuloy ang ginagawang monitoring ng mga… pic.twitter.com/GOm5U8AXjn

— Official MMDA (@MMDA) June 21, 2023

Sen. Nancy Binay questions the Department of Transportation for using the the MRT's budget to build concrete barriers in EDSA.

"Di ba yung MRT Bus augmentation, ito naman yung magfifield lang kayo ng bus kapag nagbreakdown ang MRT? Wala naman sa usapan na gagawa kayo ng special lane for the buses," BInay says during the Senate hearing.

Officials say traffic adjustments will take place at Elliptical Road particularly at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and corner of North Avenue next week to give way to the ongoing construction of the MRT-7 Project.

On July 28, the three curved lanes going to North Avenue and Visayas Avenue from Elliptical Road-Commonwealth Avenue will be moved to inner lanes on July 28, 2020.

Starting July 31, motorists are advised to pass through curved lanes at Elliptical Road-North Avenue as the current construction fence at the side of Quezon Memorial Circle will be moved towards the middle lanes and the construction fence at the corner of North Avenue will be pushed back.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao says he supports the Department of Transportation and the Metro Manila Development Authority for pushing for a single EDSA bus route also called the bus rapid transit project.

Under the plan, buses shall occupy the median lane, complementing Metro Rail Transit 3 which runs along EDSA.

“This move is foreseen to drastically reduce the number of buses plying EDSA from 5,000 buses to just a little over one thousand. With this scheme, it is expected that traffic congestion in the busiest thoroughfare will be greatly reduced,” says Pacquiao in a statement.

A business group says they welcome the bus reform announced by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, which would only allow one bus route along EDSA.

"This will reduce the number of buses and help unclog EDSA from excessive load of buses that contribute to severe congestion and low productivity," says the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines  

"We agree with the LTFRB board that now is the time to “seize the opportunity to rationalize all land transport systems and shorten routes to allow faster turnaround of buses and other public utility vehicles,” the group adds.  

Rep. Bayani Fernando (Marikina), former chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, proposes a four-day work week to ease traffic in the metro.

In an interview on ANC's "Hot Copy", Fernando also says he does not think the Duterte government needs emergency powers to address road congestion.

Motorists are advised to take note of road repairs in some Metro Manila roads this weekend and take alternate routes instead.

The Department of Public Works and Highways will undertake reblocking and repairs on the following roads starting 11 p.m Friday, October 18, until Monday, October 21.

Here are the roads where repairs will be undertaken:

Southbound

• EDSA Camp Crame Gate to after Annapolis St. (beside MRT)
• EDSA before Estrella (outer lane)
• EDSA Panorama Bldg. to Bansalangin St. (1^st lane from sidewalk)
• G. Araneta T. Arguelles to Bayanin (1^st lane from sidewalk)

Eastbound

• Quirino Highway Quezon City King Fisher to Belfast (inner lane)
• General Luis St. Rebisco Road to SB Road
• Elliptical Road after Maharlika St. (6^th lane from outer sidewalk)

Northbound

• A. Bonifacio Ave. J. Pineda St. to Marvex St. (2^nd lane from sidewalk)
• EDSA after Aurora Blvd. to New York St. (3^rd lane from sidewalk)
• Katipunan Ave./C-5  after CP Garcia St. (truck lane)
• EDSA near NIA South Road (3^rd lane from the sidewalk)

All affected roads will be fully passable by 5 a.m. on Monday, October 21.

Urban planning expert Felino "Jun" Palafox Jr. says too much politics and lack of continuity and institutional memory are reasons behind the "catastrophic" traffic we are experiencing now which was already predicted to happen 43 years ago.

"I think too much politics, lack of continuity and institutional memory because sometimes some administrations when they come in new, they ignore previous planning initiatives and so on. Maybe because of our three-year election, six-year election so it's short term and opportunistic not long term and visionary," Palafox says in an interview over ANC's "Early Edition."

"The infrastructure and urban planning and land use, we have put forward many recommendations in the World Bank-funded Metro Manila transport land use development planning project in 1976 of which I was senior planner and team leader for development planning. And we said that time, with a do-nothing scenario, we'll have catastrophic traffic, flooding, not prepared for disasters, lack of decent housing, garbage problem, water supply crisis, power and so on... So the past 43 years it was do nothing or do little that's why we have catastrophic traffic right now."

The Senate Committee on Public Services holds a hearing on the planned provincial bus ban as it tackles government plans to manage traffic in Metro Manila.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority General Manager Jojo Garcia clarifies news reports about him saying that e-tricycles are classified as "toys" by the national government.

In a statement, Garcia says what he classified as toys during the meeting with Metro Manila mayors who form the MMC, the policy-making body of the MMDA, are e-bicycles, not e-tricycles.

Earlier today, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno announced he would pull out all e-tricycles in the nation’s capital as the vehicles were classified as toys.

BREAKING: Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said he will pull out all e-tricycles in the nation’s capital.

This after MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said e-tricycles are classified as “toys” by the national government.#AlertoManileno pic.twitter.com/LHfkoVhodW

— Manila Public Information Office (@ManilaPIO) July 25, 2019

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Danilo Lim in a meeting with Metro Manila mayors proposes converting open spaces into parking areas for motorists who do not have a place to park as one of the immediate solutions to solve traffic woes in the metropolis.

The MMDA's meeting with the Metro Manila Council was set after President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to solve Metro Manila's traffic problems during his 4th SONA.

Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III meanwhile asks Metro Manila mayors to have an inventory of all public roads in their jurisdiction to identify which one has a congestion problem due to sidewalks and streets being illegally occupied.

Densing also asks the mayors to direct their city council to start reviewing traffic management ordinances with provisions that allow structures on the sidewalks and amend them to prohibit these.

The MMDA says the audit must start with the national roads, Mabuhay lanes and identified roads that serve as alternative routes.

“For the identified routes, no parking and illegal structures must be allowed then we can deal with the side streets later,” said Lim.

The mayors said they have started clearing major thoroughfares in their localities.

Motorists are advised to avoid these roads where reblocking and repairs are scheduled from 11 p.m. Friday, June 28, until 5 a.m. Monday, July 1.

Southbound

• EDSA fronting Guzent Construction Equipment Sales and Rental to Culiat Bridge (2nd lane from sidewalk)
• Katipunan Ave. before P. Tuazon Blvd. (2nd lane from sidewalk)
• EDSA Magallanes-Baclaran Bus Stop to Magallanes-Alabang Bus Stop (outer lane)
• EDSA Eugenio Lopez – Sct. Borromeo (desilting and construction of manhole)

Westbound

• Quirino Highway Kingfisher St. to Primerose St. (2nd lane from sidewalk)
• General Luis St. Pascual St. to before Oriental Tin

Northbound

• C-5 Road fronting SM Aura Northbound (3rd lane from median) and SM Aura Southbound (2nd lane from median)
• Regalado ext. to Quirino Highway (2nd lane from sidewalk)
• EDSA after Aurora Blvd. (1st and 2nd lane from sidewalk)

Motorists are advised to take alternate routes as the Public Works department is set to conduct road repairs over the weekend.

The following roads will undertake reblocking and repairs starting 11 p.m. Friday, May 31, until 5 a.m. Monday, June 3.

Southbound 

1. C-5 fronting Market-Market (outermost lane) and beside U-turn slot near Market-Market
2. Edsa Monte de Piedad – Aurora Blvd., Service Road (3rd lane from sidewalk) and cor. New York St. (1st lane from sidewalk)
3. Edsa cor. Bansalangin St. (fronting Shell, 3rd lane from center island)
4. Edsa Magallanes – Baclaran Bus Stop to Magallanes – Alabang Bus Stop (outer lane)

Northbound 

• Aurora Blvd. intersection to Five Star (1st and 2nd lane from sidewalk, intermittent section)
• Quirino Highway fronting Novaliches Plaza (1st lane from sidewalk)

Motorists are advised to avoid the said areas and use alternate routes instead.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority temporarily suspends the dry run of the provincial bus ban on EDSA.

“We will continue with the dry run once the guidelines and implementing rules have been ironed out by the three agencies involved,” MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia says.

The meeting between the MMDA, Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is still pending.

He adds that the MMDA does not want the policy to be politicized at this time "when politics is too dominant because of the coming elections."

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority announces that the full implementation of the driver-only ban and expanded high-occupancy-vehicle lane on EDSA has been suspended. 

But they will proceed with the dry-run, MMDA adds.

MMDA says it will start implementing the ban on provincial buses during rush hours on EDSA on August 15.

The ban will take effect from 7-10 a.m. and 6-9 p.m. during weekdays. Violators will pay a fine of P2,000.

"Itutuloy na namin ang provincial bus ban sa Agosto 15 pero kapag rush hour lamang," MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia says.

"Sa ilalim ng polisiya, magtatapos sa Cubao ang ruta ng mga bus na galing sa norte habang sa Pasay City naman ang mga bus na mula sa timog. Ang mga kumpanya ng bus na wala namang terminal sa Pasay City ay maaaring gamitin ang Southwest Interim Provincial Terminal (SWIPT)," MMDA says.

The Public Works department warns motorists to expect traffic slowdown from today until Monday (March 23-26) in parts of Taguig and Quezon City due to scheduled road works.

Road repairs will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday. Lanes are expected to be fully passable by 5 a.m. on Monday.

pic.twitter.com/U8hgCgjSwt

— DPWH Philippines (@DPWHph) March 23, 2018

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