MMDA warns: Stay away from worst Edsa today

MANILA, Philippines—If you think that traffic has been particularly bad in the past few days, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) advised commuters to brace themselves for the worst today as it noted that the last Friday before Christmas was considered the most crucial day of the year by mall owners and operators.

Based on the data provided by mall managers, the last Friday before Dec. 25 is the day they register their highest sales in a year, said MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino.

With people expected to troop to malls to do some last-minute shopping before Christmas, traffic will be very heavy on roads near shopping centers, particularly on Edsa where 15 malls are located, he said.

Earlier, the MMDA and Edsa mall owners agreed upon an open late-close late system (from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.) from Nov. 28 to Jan. 3 to help ease traffic on one of busiest thoroughfares in the metropolis.

At the same time, the MMDA designated alternate routes for motorists bound for major shopping malls so that people could avoid Edsa.

According to the MMDA, traffic volume usually rises from 15 to 20 percent between November and December because of people from all over the country who go to Metro Manila for a vacation or to do their Christmas shopping.