‘Christmas express lane’ on Edsa opened during holiday season

Road barriers are ready for positioning along Edsa—from Mandaluyong to Pasay City—to mark the exclusive lanes for VIP Apec delegates from Nov. 17 to 20. Now, motorists have a “Christmas express lane.” NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Not only the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) delegates have an exclusive lane. Now, motorists have a “Christmas express lane.”

READ: Apec lanes to open on Edsa for VIPs

The Highway Patrol Group (HPG) has activated the Christmas express lane on Edsa it had set up to ease traffic on the perennially congested thoroughfare.

However, HPG director Chief Supt. Arnold Gunnacao said the express lane will only be implemented during holiday season starting from the first week of December until the first week of January.

The barriers for the express lane were formerly used in the Apec lanes or fast lanes for the delegates that were criticized by the public for causing traffic jam on the highway during the week-long event.

The express lane will be on the innermost part of Edsa’s southbound lane from Shaw Boulevard to Pasay.

“‘Yung Christmas express lane, kagaya ng Apec lane, innermost din from Shaw Blvd. papunta ng Buendia, Ayala at Pasay para tuloy tuloy po,” Supt. Grace Tamayo, HPG spokesperson, said in an interview.

(The Christmas express lane, like the Apec lane, is the innermost from Shaw Blvd to Buendia, Ayala at Pasay so it is continuous.)

Meanwhile, on the northbound lane of Edsa, Tamayo said yellow barriers will be put up to maintain the yellow lane for buses.

She said the 250 HPG personnel will be working in shifts to manage traffic especially those near mall entrances.

The shifts will be from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. There will be 22 personnel on duty per shift.

Furthermore, some HPG officers will be conducting patrols from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. RAM