THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said it will make some adjustments on Katipunan Ave. in Quezon City to ease traffic congestion, especially during rush hours, in light of the increase in vehicle volume in the area.
MMDA General Manager Procopio Lipana said among the adjustments to be made include the use of the service road near Ateneo Gate 2 (from Marikina) for vehicles. The service road is currently being used by pedestrians only.
“We are also looking at adjusting Ateneo de Manila’s entrance gate for vehicles without stickers to accommodate more vehicles that would lessen traffic congestion on Katipunan Avenue,” Lipana told reporters after he and MMDA Assistant General Manager for Operations Angelo Vargas and Traffic Discipline Office Director for Enforcement Vic Nunez inspected the area to check on traffic flow yesterday morning.
Lipana said northbound vehicles turning left to enter Ateneo are occupying three lanes, affecting those who are going southbound.
“We are also mulling limiting the lanes they use into two during rush hours by putting traffic cones,” he added.
Data from the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center recorded a daily average of 2,757 vehicles traversing the northbound lane of Katipunan going to Commonwealth Ave. from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. while 6,636 vehicles are Aurora Blvd.-bound during the same period.
During afternoon peak hours, or from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., the agency recorded 4,854 vehicles traveling northbound and 5,697 on the southbound portion of Katipunan.
The agency also noted an uptick in vehicle volume in the southbound portion of Katipunan at 32 percent in the morning and 24 percent in the afternoon from May to August this year.
“We observed that since the opening of classes, traffic congestion in the area has worsened, that’s why we are here to study and come up with measures on how to address the congestion due to the huge volume of vehicles traversing the area, especially during rush hours,” Lipana said.
He said the MMDA has already held a consultative meeting with officials from Ateneo de Manila, Miriam College, and the University of the Philippines-Diliman to get their cooperation on the planned measures to ease traffic congestion on Katipunan.
“They have expressed cooperation in easing traffic flow in their respective areas,” he added.
Lipana said the MMDA will also deploy additional body camera-equipped traffic enforcers along Katipunan Ave. to ensure better traffic management.
