Area covered by speed limit on ‘killer road’ extended

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will be stepping up its campaign against speedsters, especially on the so-called “killer highway” in Quezon City.

On the agency’s radio program Sunday, MMDA assistant general manager for operations Emerson Carlos said the agency would expand the area covered by the 60 kilometer-per-hour speed limit on Commonwealth Avenue.

Right now, the speed limit applies only to the portion of the road from Philcoa to the Sandiganbayan but this will be extended all the way to the corner of Doña Carmen Avenue.

“The lanes there are still spacious so vehicles tend to speed up,” Carlos explained. Commonwealth Avenue, at its widest, boasts 18 lanes.

The new policy, however, will take effect only after the MMDA buys two additional speed radar guns for its enforcers who are assigned on Commonwealth Avenue. The new equipment which can take footage of vehicles and estimate their speed is expected to be delivered this week.

Carlos said speed enforcers deployed to the area already use several speed radar guns although they constantly change their locations to avoid alerting motorists and ensure that they strictly observe the speed limit throughout their travel on the 12-kilometer-long road.

Commonwealth Avenue earned the label of “killer highway” due to the numerous vehicular accidents that had occurred in the area over the years. The speed limit was imposed after veteran journalist Lourdes “Chit” Estella Simbulan was killed in 2011 when her taxi cab was rammed by a speeding passenger bus.