Traffic on Edsa. INQUIRER FILE/JOAN BONDOC
MANILA, Philippines — In a bid to ease traffic congestion in the capital region at this time of the year, mall operators have again acceded to the proposal of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on the adjustment of their shopping hours during weekdays.
Starting November 11, “more or less” 100 malls in Metro Manila will start their operation at 11 a.m. – an hour later than the usual 10 a.m. during the pre-Christmas season.
In a meeting will mall operators on Tuesday, MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said that this scheme will be enforced until January 10, 2020.
Last year, only malls along Edsa were asked to adjust their shopping hours.
READ: Malling today? Don’t go too early as many shops set to open at 11 a.m.
During weekends, however, Garcia said mall operators may opt to implement their regular operating times.
Mall operators likewise agreed to refrain from scheduling sale events on weekdays during this holiday season.
Further, MMDA asked mall operators to not let public utility vehicles (PUVs) stay too long in their loading and unloading bays to help relax bottlenecks.
Garcia said that while they are thankful for such facilities established by malls in Metro Manila, he raised the problem of overstaying PUVs that cause traffic jams on the highway, particularly on Edsa.
“So, ang napag-usapan namin, kailangan nilang i-enforce ‘yung mga bus na ‘wag magtagal. Pagka-napuno ‘yung bays nila at meron pang bus sa labas, hindi na natin papapasukin dun, papadiretsuhin na natin,” Garcia added.
(So what we’ve talked about was the need for them to enforce that buses should not stay too long. If the bays are full and there are buses waiting outside, those buses won’t be allowed to get in anymore and will just be asked to proceed past the bay.)
Mall operators likewise agreed to deploy additional security personnel to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in their parking facilities and avoid setting off a road blockage. /kga