It’s a way for them to manage traffic
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has floated the idea of banning driver-only cars along EDSA to ease the traffic flow along the vital thoroughfare. They reason that the scheme will reduce the number of cars on the most heavily used highway in the metro and encourage people to carpool to reduce the number of cars on the road.
“Finloat ‘yung idea….Walang nag-negative (The idea was floated….Nobody thumbed it down),” MMDA chief of staff Jojo Garcia told reporters during a press conference after the MMDA’s meeting with Metro Manila mayors.
If approved, the new measure will be effective starting from 7 am to 8 pm during weekdays and will be applied to both private and public vehicles. It’ll cover the entire length of EDSA from North Avenue to Magallanes in Makati. Cars without passengers will still be able to cross EDSA without any problems.
According the Garcia, banning cars without passengers would greatly reduce traffic congestion along EDSA, as he notes that 8 in 10 cars in Metro Manila have no passengers in them.
If you think your heavily tinted car will allow you to squeak by the proposed measure, you’re sorely mistaken – heavily tinted cars will be flagged by traffic enforces to make sure there’s more than one person inside.
Before you all troop to the MMDA’s office, know that it’s only a proposed measure as of writing, meaning it has not been approved yet. You can read the full document below:
EDSA Modified Car Pooling Policy by Ram Talabong on Scribd
