MMDA to dismantle illegal terminals of passenger vehicles along Edsa

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is creating a composite team that will apprehend the drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs), who have set up illegal terminals along Edsa.

During a meeting with the Edsa traffic technical working group on Friday, MMDA Chair Emerson Carlos said that the agency, together with the Philippine National Police – Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) would coordinate with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFB) to remove these obstructions from Edsa and impose stricter fines on violators.

“We are talking about the illegal terminals of AUVs (Asian Utility Vehicles) used by UV Express and some public utility jeepneys found along some portions of Edsa,” Carlos added.

Chief Supt. Arnold Gunnacao, the PNP-HPG director, said that in their monitoring of Edsa in recent months, they have discovered illegal terminals along Quezon Avenue, Muñoz, Balintawak and Cubao, all in Quezon City.

It is in these areas where the public utility vehicles queue for a certain period of time to get passengers.

During the start of the HPG’s takeover of traffic management along Edsa last September, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said that these illegal terminals had already disappeared but have again returned.

Asked what disciplinary measures would be given to violators, the MMDA said they would tap the assistance of the LTFRB in imposing stricter fines.

Under the MMDA’s list of traffic violations and penalties, loading and unloading in prohibited areas are meted fines of P500 for the first until the third offense.

Gunnacao said they would deploy more policemen at every intersection of Edsa to maintain order and discipline along metro’s main artery.

“Previously, we detailed 10 for every intersection, now we will be deploying 20,” Gunnacao added.

Aside from this measure, Carlos said members of the composite team would be tasked to apprehend “yellow box” violators.

A yellow box is a portion at an intersection which is marked with yellow lines and should remain unobstructed at all times.

This has been deemed important after the MMDA signalized some intersections along Edsa like Quezon Avenue and Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City.

Although penalties and sanctions have not been discussed, Carlos said Gunnacao was the one who proposed the idea and said that they would have to finaliz the guidelines on penalties for such a violation.

The MMDA does not currently have a listed fine for “yellow box” violators although local government units in Metro Manila have existing ordinances stating that this traffic violation has a fine of P500. The City of Makati, however, imposes a higher fine for “yellow box” violations pegged at P1,000.  SFM