THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said it expects the number of vehicles plying EDSA and other major thoroughfares in Metro Manila to increase by as much as 10 percent this holiday season.
MMDA spokesperson Melissa Carunungan said the most recent data gathered by the agency’s Traffic Engineering Center showed that as of November 10, the daily vehicle volume along EDSA stood at 398,000.
Pre-pandemic, the number, according to Carunungan, ranged from 400,000 to 405,000.
“We expect an increase of around 10 to 20 percent in our major thoroughfares this holiday season,” Carunungan told the Laging Handa public briefing.
EDSA, at 23.8 kilometers, is Metro Manila’s prime thoroughfare, passing through six of the metropolis’ 17 local government units — Caloocan, Quezon City, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati and Pasay.
The vehicle volume on EDSA has steadily increased from January this year from 302,309 to 371,882 by February; 377,591 by March; 400,776 by April; 403,774 by May; and 408,105 by June.
The number dipped slightly to 400,829 and 387,003 by July and August.
The MMDA said almost 50 percent of the vehicles are privately owned, while 38 percent are motorcycles. Another 4.5 percent are taxicabs.
The MMDA has yet to provide the traffic data for Commonwealth Avenue and C-5, two other major thoroughfares in the metropolis.
To ensure that traffic problems will be manageable this holiday season, Carunungan said the agency is boosting the number of traffic enforcers deployed along EDSA and other thoroughfares.
Carunungan said “900 to 1,000” traffic enforcers are deployed in two shifts daily, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
She said the operating hours of shopping malls have been adjusted starting yesterday, from the original 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. to 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
She said mall owners must hold their sales on weekends and they must submit their traffic management plan two weeks in advance.
“No traffic management plan nor for mall-wide sales have been submitted to us,” she said.
The adjusted mall operating hours will remain in effect until January 6 although MMDA acting chairman Romando Artes had hinted at the possibility of lifting the mall operating hours restrictions earlier, depending on the traffic situation after Christmas.
All excavation activities in the metropolis’ national roads were also suspended starting yesterday up January 6 next year.
NO SOLICITATIONS
PNP chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr. yesterday reiterated the PNP policy against solicitation of gifts during the Christmas season, saying policemen caught violating the policy will be charged administratively.
“We all know that’s prohibited, that’s why we are directing our PNP units nationwide to refrain (from soliciting),” Azurin told a press briefing at Camp Crame.
Azurin said policemen should also refrain from such malpractice because “lots of jobs have been lost, lots of businesses are still recovering.
“So part of the (actions we should take) is we refrain from soliciting. No solicitation is allowed, especially from agencies, whether private or non-government organizations,” he said, adding PNP units may celebrate Christmas but not in an extravagant way.
He also discouraged police personnel from accepting tokens of gratitude, including food, during the season.
He vowed charges will be filed against policemen caught soliciting gifts. — With Victor Reyes
