THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said shopping malls in Metro Manila will open from 11 a.m., instead of 10 a.m., from November 18 to December 25 in light of the expected heavy traffic flow in the metropolis due to the holiday season.
There are 131 shopping malls in Metro Manila and 29 of them are located along EDSA, the metropolis’ prime thoroughfare.
“The closing of mall shopping hours will depend on the mall operators’ preference. But we encourage them to extend to give the public more time to do their errands and last-minute shopping,” MMDA chief Romando Artes said in a press briefing at the MMDA main office in Pasig City after he met with representatives from SM Malls, Robinson’s, Ayala Malls, Meralco, PLDT, Globe, DITO, Manila Water, and Maynilad.
The extension of mall hours is one of the measures to be implemented to alleviate the expected traffic congestion in the metropolis due to the holiday season.
Artes said “mall-wide sales shall also not be allowed” during the same period, but sales on certain stores or outlets inside malls may be allowed even on weekdays provided that no announcement, advertisement, or tarpaulin of the same is posted.
Artes said deliveries of shopping mall operators shall only be allowed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day, except for perishable goods such as food and ice.
Mall operators are also required to submit their traffic management plan to the MMDA for their respective mall sales and other promotional events two weeks before the scheduled dates.
A temporary suspension of all road right-of-way excavation activities in Metro Manila will also be implemented effective midnight of November 18 up to midnight of December 25.
Artes said this includes road reblocking works, pipe-laying, road upgrading and other excavation works that may hinder or disrupt the flow of traffic.
“Exempted from the moratorium are flagship projects of the government, DPWH bridge repair and construction, flood interceptor catchment projects, and emergency leak repair, among others,” he said.
Artes also said the MMDA will request the Department of Transportation to extend the public transport system’s operating hours, especially the EDSA Bus Carousel, LRT and MRT, to accommodate late-night commuters and mall employees.
“We have to implement remedial measures to reduce traffic congestion as vehicle volume in Metro Manila increases during the holidays,” he said.
Based on the latest data from the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center, as of September 24, 421,000 vehicles are traversing EDSA daily.
