NO SWERVING A traffic enforcer directs motorcycle riders to stay on an exclusive lane along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Monday, March 27, 2023. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has started the full implementation of this traffic scheme to reduce road accidents involving motorcycles. INQUIRER/NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — A total of 2,302 drivers have been apprehended since the full implementation of the exclusive motorcycle lane along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Wednesday.
MMDA spokesperson Melissa Carunungan said the MMDA and the Quezon City Traffic Department apprehended 1,739 on the first day of implementation on Monday, March 27, of which 706 are motorcycle riders while 1,033 are four-wheeled motorists.
On the second day of implementation on Tuesday, a total of 563 violators were apprehended including 402 motorcycle riders and 161 four-wheeled motorists.
Carunungan said around 200 traffic enforcers are being deployed daily to Commonwealth Avenue until 10 p.m. She said it is considered dangerous for traffic enforcers to guard the major thoroughfare late at night.
According to the MMDA, they need at least three months to assess the policy’s effectiveness in reducing the number of motorcycle-related accidents and improving the traffic flow along Commonwealth Avenue.
“Sa ngayon, ang nararanasan po natin ay ang birth pains na kasama po sa pagpapatupad ng polisiya. [At] the very least, kailangan pa namin ng tatlong buwan para po magkaroon ng substantial assessment pero araw-araw mino-monitor po namin ang sitwasyon sa Commonwealth [Avenue] at nakikinig rin po kami sa mga concerns at suggestions ng mga motorista,” Carunungan said.
(Right now, what we are experiencing is the birth pains that accompany the implementation of the policy. At the very least, we need three more months to have a substantial assessment but we are monitoring the situation on Commonwealth Avenue every day and we are also listening to the concerns and suggestions of motorists.)
More than 20,000 motorists were pulled over during the dry run of the exclusive motorcycle lane in Quezon City on Sunday, March 26, according to the MMDA.
READ: 20,000 drivers pulled over for motorcycle lane violations in QC
Now that it’s no longer a practice implementation, erring private motorists and public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers will be fined P500 and P1,200, respectively.
The exclusive motorcycle lane is located along Commonwealth Avenue – which is infamous for fatal vehicular and pedestrian accidents – from Elliptical Road to Doña Carmen Street.
The first lane of the wide Commonwealth Avenue is dedicated for bicycles; second lane for PUVs; third lane for motorcycles; and the rest of the lanes for other motor vehicles.
Drivers who intend to make a U-turn along Commonwealth Avenue may deviate from their respective lane at 200 meters from the designated U-turn slot.
When entering or exiting side streets or intersections, vehicles may swerve from their lane using the transition lines or pavement markings at a minimum 100 meters from their dedicated lane. — Meralyn Melitante, trainee
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