MORE than 1,300 motorists were apprehended for violating the exclusive motorcycle lane along Commonwealth Avenue in the first day of its implementation yesterday, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
MMDA data showed that as of 5 p.m. yesterday, 532 motorcycle riders and 859 private motorists, or a total of 1,391, were flagged down and issued traffic citation tickets for disregarding the policy.
They will pay a fine of P500 while public utility vehicle drivers who violate the policy will be meted a much higher fine of P1,200.
The implementation of the exclusive motorcycle lane policy came after a three-week dry run where motorists and riders who disregarded it were warned about their violation.
During the three-week dry run, the agency recorded more than 20,000 violators, majority of them — 16,129 — drivers of four-wheeled type vehicles.
The motorcycle lane along Commonwealth Ave. runs from Elliptical Road to Dona Carmen and is meant to reduce the number of fatal road crashes involving motorcycles and to improve traffic flow. Data from the MMDA’s Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) showed a total of 1,686 or five cases per day of motorcycle-related road crash incidents along Commonwealth Avenue were recorded in 2022.
Of that figure, 13 cases resulted in fatal injuries, 930 in non-fatal injuries, and 743 in damage to property.
