Starting Wednesday, December 1, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will reimpose the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP), or number coding scheme, during rush hours to cut the number of vehicles on Edsa.
Neomie Recio, MMDA Traffic Discipline Office director, said that during peak hours, the vehicles plying along Edsa ranges from 18,000 to 20,000.
“Malaking bagay na rin ito [This is already a big thing if 2,700 vehicles will be reduced]…Ang maximum natin na dumadaan sa Edsa per hour ay 20,000, Edsa lang ha [A maximum of 20,000 vehicles per hour are plying along Edsa, this is for Edsa alone],” Recio said responding to the question of the BusinessMirror.
In addition, MMDA Chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. expressed worries that if the number coding will not be reimplemented, the vehicles traversing Edsa will hit 405,000.
Recio said that the capacity of Edsa is around 288,000 to 300,000 vehicles in a day.
“But right now our volume [of vehicles] is 401,000. Ibig sabihin may sobra tayong [meaning we have an excess of] 100,000 in a day. So that’s why kailangan natin magbawas [we need to reduce the number],” Recio said adding that the private vehicles comprises 49 percent to 53 percent of vehicles using the roads of Metro Manila.
“Our public transport is just around 8 percent to 10 percent, a very small percentage. The dominant really are cars and motorcycles but we don’t include motorcycles because they just occupy a small spaces of the road unlike cars,” she added.
The number coding will be implemented in the afternoon on Mondays to Fridays, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., except during holidays.
Abalos said that the Metro Manila Council (MMC) through a resolution on the implementation of the calibrated traffic mitigation measures in the National Capital Region (NCR) aimed to avoid a traffic management crisis in the future already approved this.
According to MMDA Resolution 21-30, per the recent travel survey and analysis which was conducted by the MMDA Traffic Engineering Center, including vehicle volume count, travel time and travel speed study, and average daily traffic rate, it was determined that the current traffic situation is approaching the pre-pandemic levels.
The number coding scheme in the metropolis will only cover private vehicles. Vehicles with plates ending in 1 and 2 are prohibited on Monday, 3 and 4 on Tuesday, 5 and 6 on Wednesday, 7 and 8 on Thursday, 9 and 0 on Friday.
Exempted from the modified UVVRP are public-utility vehicles (including tricycles), transport network vehicle services (TNVS), motorcycles, garbage trucks, fuel trucks, motor vehicles carrying essential and/or perishable goods.
“Data shows that the travel speed along the northbound portion of Edsa is 9.66 kilometers per hour. Hence, we have to reinstate the number coding scheme during the afternoon rush hours to address the problem. We are trying to exhaust all options here,” Abalos stressed.
“The solution to this problem is efficient traffic management and mass transport system,” he added.
Meanwhile, Abalos said the light trucks ban along Edsa would be reimplemented, also with modification.
Based on the UVVRP motor vehicle plate endings, light trucks shall be prohibited to ply Edsa between Magallanes, Makati City and North Avenue, Quezon City, both northbound and southbound, from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays, except holidays.
“Light trucks” refer to motor vehicles, whether for commercial use or not, with a gross capacity weight of 4,500 kilograms or below and/or having six or more tires, the payload area of which are either enclosed or open.
Meanwhile, the total truck ban policy along Edsa between Magallanes, Makati City and North Avenue, Quezon City, both northbound and southbound, shall remain and be strictly enforced with the exception of garbage trucks, fuel trucks, and trucks carrying essential and/or perishable goods. On the other hand, the truck ban hours in the NCR shall remain suspended until further notice.
“Trucks” refer to motor vehicles, whether for commercial use or not, with a gross capacity weight of above 4,500 kilograms.
The MMC, composed of the 17 local government units of Metro Manila, is the governing body and policy-making body of the MMDA.
Image courtesy of MMDA