MANILA, Philippines – Starting this week, students and teachers on board vehicles shall be allowed to enter Ateneo de Manila University only through Gate 3 as part of efforts to declog traffic on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

Following talks with school officials yesterday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said the university’s entry point would be moved from Gate 2 to Gate 3.

The nearby U-turn slot, however, shall remain closed to motorists, said MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno.

MMDA Traffic Operations Center Director Angelito Vergel de Dios said the decision was reached because of observations that traffic was often heavy in front of Gate 2 close to the C-5 flyover near Aurora Boulevard.

On the other hand, those leaving the campus shall be allowed to exit through Gate 2, Vergel de Dios said, although he was not sure if they could also use Gate 3. The new scheme would be implemented tomorrow after parents and students have been notified, he added.

Robert Esquivel, chief of the MMDA’s traffic enforcement unit, said he hoped the new scheme would ease traffic.

Noting the relatively smooth traffic yesterday, Esquivel said there might not be any need to reopen the U-turn slot, especially if the new scheme worked.

Motorists have assailed the MMDA for the rerouting scheme, which they claimed had turned the area into a cause for road rage because of a traffic gridlock.