MMDA: Driver-only private vehicles to be banned on Edsa during rush hours

The Metro Manila Council (MMC) on Tuesday approved a resolution to ban driver-only private vehicles on Edsa during rush hours.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Jojo Garcia said under the resolution, all lanes of Edsa will be allotted for high occupancy vehicles (HOV) or vehicles with at least two individuals -including the driver, during rush hours.

“Yung sa HOV in-aprubahan din ng MMC na during rush hours sa Edsa kung pwede dalawa ang sakay sa kotse. Kung mag-isa lang di pwede dumaan during rush hours sa buong EDSA,” Garcia said.

The MMC is the policy-making body of the MMDA and is composed of all the mayors of Metro Manila.

“HOV tayo noon is single lane lang, ngayon gagawin natin buong Edsa na during rush hour,” Garcia added.

The MMDA however clarified that both the date of the ban’s implementation and the implementing guidelines has yet to be set by the MMC.

Garcia added that the MMDA will also have to determine if the entire stretch of Edsa will be covered by the ban..

“Hindi pa naibibigay kung hanggang saan lang kasi may gagawin pa na adjustments. Pwedeng Balintawak to Magallanes depende saka rush hour lang,” Garcia said.

Meanwhile, the MMC has given the MMDA the green light to schedule a dry-run of the new policy.

According to Garcia, about 70 percent of vehicles that pass through Edsa are driver-only vehicles.  /muf

READ: MMDA to implement HOV lane on Edsa; dry run starts Dec. 11