Govt mulls removing EDSA bus lanes as part of plans to ease traffic congestion

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THE government is looking at the possible removal of the Epi-fanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) bus lanes and carousels and the imposition of toll fees on all vehicles passing through the major highway.

Also being mulled is increasing the passenger capacity of the elevated train systems to address traffic congestion in various areas of Metro Manila.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair-man Romando Artes, in a briefing in Malacanang, said these are just some of the recommendations in the Comprehensive Traf-fic Management Plan (CTMP) for Metro Manila and its nearby provinces that were reported to President Marcos Jr. last Tues-day.

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Artes said he gave the President an update on the status of the implementation of some of the recommendations under CTMP, which was undertaken by the MMDA and the Japan Interna-tional Cooperation Agency (JICA).

He said that among those to be implemented include the re-moval of the U-turn slot on the Circumferential 5 (C-5) road and replacing them with the originally planned underpasses; building six bridges across the Pasig River; discouraging private cars from using EDSA unless they have more than two occu-pants and urging motorists to use the train systems.

In a radio interview, Department of Interior and Local Govern-ment (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said the other proposals to address traffic congestion include putting up a combined lane for motorcycles and bicycles on EDSA, and the establishment of parking spaces near the Northern and Southern parts of EDSA where private owners can leave their vehicles to commute using the public transport system in Metro Manila.

He said another measure is ensuring the operation of and inter-connection of the Light Rail and Metro Rail Transit (LRT-MRT) systems.

“There are some action plans that have started their implemen-tation. In fact, many of the recommendations, almost half of which, are already being implemented and will continue to be implemented including the fixing of some intersections, among others,” Artes said.

EDSA BUS LANES

Remulla and Artes emphasized that the removal of the EDSA bus lane and carousels would only happen once the LRT-MRT systems had increased their carrying capacity and extended their current routes.

Artes said the current number of train wagons would be in-creased by at least 30 percent which Remulla said would extend the current carrying capacity from around 500,000 passengers a day to 800,000.

“We will add more wagons, so that’s another 30 percent addi-tional capacity. The infrastructure to accommodate the longer train is just being readied,” Artes added.

Remulla said the removal of the bus carousels and bus lanes would be done gradually while bicycle and motorcycle lanes would also be expanded to accommodate them in major thor-oughfares such as EDSA and avoid accidents.

“Eventually, the aim here is to improve the efficiency of public transportation, to discourage the people from bringing their cars,” he said.

He said an MMDA study showed that around 17 percent of ED-SA commuters use private vehicles that usually carry only one to two persons.

Remulla said there are proposals to impose tolls on vehicles passing EDSA but it has yet to be approved and finalized.

He said those entering Metro Manila through EDSA could ei-ther pay the toll or park their vehicles in parking areas in areas near EDSA then use public utility vehicles like trains.

EDSA CLOSURE

Artes said the government is looking at starting the rehabilita-tion of EDSA this coming March.

Remulla said the plans, which include undertaking repairs of the Guadalupe Bridge and the Magallanes Interchange, will start the rehabilitation before the rainy season sets in.

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He said it would take at least 16 months to complete.

Artes said the MMDA is coordinating with the DPWH to final-ize the timetable and the preliminary traffic management plan for the rehabilitation.

He said among the plans is first to start the repair of the south-bound lanes of EDSA followed by the northbound lanes.

He said the goal is to start the rehabilitation soon to finish it in time for the Philippines’ hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2026.

Among the problems they are anticipating are the simultaneous drainage system improvements that would be done on EDSA to address flooding and the presence of utility lines in the outer lanes.

Remulla said to ease the traffic during the repair work, the gov-ernment is looking at providing Skyway vouchers to qualified motorists.

Details about the vouchers, like the qualifications of the benefi-ciaries, are still being finalized.

Remulla said only 70 percent of the Skyway is being used, which could increase to 100 percent once the EDSA rehabilita-tion starts.

Artes said another measure is to use alternate routes to be iden-tified by the MMDA.

He said during the closure of the Kamuning Flyover in Quezon City due to repairs, there were three alternate roads available before vehicles re-entered EDSA.

“With proper management, it didn’t cause heavy traffic,” he said but admitted that EDSA may not have enough available al-ternative routes.

He said there is an “out-of-the-box” solution that he had dis-cussed with the President but declined to provide details pend-ing a further review.

WFH ARRANGEMENT

Artes said the MMDA is consulting with local government units regarding the proposal to adjust the working hours of national government agencies in Metro Manila as well as allowing work-from-home arrangements in a bid to ease traffic.

He said the local government of San Juan, Pasay and Pasig fa-vored the 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. work hours while other LGUs have yet to give their opinion.

As to the WFH arrangement, he said it is allowed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

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