One more try to solve jam on ortigas

The Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (IACT) has sought the help of different stakeholders in another attempt to address congestion on Ortigas Avenue, especially the Greenhills area in San Juan, amid the confusion that ensued a month after the council started implementing new traffic measures in the area.

Representatives of the exclusive school La Salle Greenhills (LSGH) have told IACT that the new traffic policies “caused confusion” among motorists, including the students’ parents and school personnel, due to some “miscommunication on the use of lanes.”

They noted, for example, that some vehicles were flagged down by traffic enforcers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for using the U-turn slot at the Shell gas station on Ortigas, which they thought it was part of alternate route. It turned out that use of the slot was only allowed from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Perennial choke point

Last month, the IACT, which was also coordinating with the local government of San Juan, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Manila and Quezon City, implemented new traffic policies along Ortigas, especially at the LSGH area, which has been perennial choke point due to the volume of private cars sending and fetching students.

It designated the waiting sheds along Ortigas’ westbound lane (going to San Juan, near flyover) and eastbound side (going to Edsa, near footbridge) as new drop-off zones, where drivers are not allowed to wait for passengers.

Any vehicle waiting for more than 30 seconds at these zones would be issued a violation ticket for illegal parking.

The IACT, however, later relocated the Ortigas westbound waiting shed after LSGH Gate 6. The newly fenced shed would serve as a loading and unloading bay for LSGH students.

The terminal on Annapolis Street, meanwhile, will also serve as pickup and drop-off area, but jeepneys are not  allowed to wait there.

IACT also relaxed the single-lane policy for vehicles entering the LSGH campus by not requiring school buses on their second trip to join the queue.

Shared burden

In a statement, the LSGH management said it “fully supports (IACT’s efforts) to help government ease our shared traffic burden.” Meanwhile, only the cities of Mandaluyong and San Juan expressed their support for the implementation of the new traffic policies.

The MMDA said it would install closed-circuit television cameras along Ortigas Avenue and in front of LSGH.

IACT head, Transport Undersecretary Tom Orbos, also asked the local governments concerned, as well as the Truckers Association of the Philippines and Philippine Retailers Association, to adjust the truck ban schedule. Instead of 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., it should be  10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Orbos said he had requested the stakeholders to submit “data-driven position papers … to help us foresee the economic impact” of this adjustment on  their nighttime commercial activities.