Up next on Edsa: Nonstop buses, barriers

Secretary Jose Rene Almendras

Traffic officials will launch a “nonstop” bus service and set up plastic barriers from Mandaluyong to Makati City on Edsa this Saturday, two measures aimed at encouraging more commuters to take public transport and enforcing road discipline during the holiday rush.

The Edsa Technical Working Group (TWG), which managed traffic on the country’s busiest highway during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting last month, said orange barriers would be reinstalled on Edsa’s southbound side, initially from Shaw Boulevard to Buendia (Gil Puyat Avenue).

The separators were earlier used for the so-called Apec lanes for VIPs attending the international conference.

This time, the barriers will be used to designate two lanes for public utility buses and three lanes for private vehicles.

In a press briefing on Thursday at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) headquarters in Makati City, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, who heads the Edsa TWG for traffic, said having the separators should enable PUBs to move faster.

Citing the Shaw-Buendia stretch as the “most problematic” part of Edsa during the morning rush hour, Almendras said barriers would be installed in other sections of the highway in the coming weeks.

There will be gaps in the barriers to allow right-turning vehicles to enter the yellow lanes (bus lanes) or those coming from secondary roads to enter the private vehicle lanes on Edsa.

Last weekend, commuters complained of heavy traffic on Edsa, particularly between Kamuning and Cubao, blaming it on the placement of plastic barriers in that area.

MMDA Traffic Engineering Center head Neomie Recio then explained that it was the Highway Patrol Group of the Philippine National Police who asked for the barriers to deter ‘‘swerving” among vehicles coming from East Avenue and Kamuning.

Express buses rolling out

Also at Thursday’s briefing, Almendras announced the start of the “Holiday Non-Stop Bus Service” to encourage private car owners to take public transportation.

A total of 20 express buses will run nonstop initially on three routes: Trinoma (North Edsa) in Quezon City to Park Square Terminal in Ayala Center Makati; SM North Edsa to Glorietta 5, Ayala Center; and SM Megamall to Park Square Terminal.

The fares range from P50 to P80. The holiday bus service runs up to Jan. 6, 2016.

The buses, which have a seating capacity of 45-49 each, can also load or unload passengers on Ayala Avenue, Makati.

The operation of the express buses starts around 6 a.m., with trips every 30 minutes, while the last trip will be around 10 p.m. on both directions, according to Robert Siy, senior adviser for planning at the Department of Transportation and Communications.

If needed, “police escorts” may be assigned to the express buses to ensure that their passengers arrive at their destinations on time,

Almendras added.

The express buses have been issued special permits from the Land Transportation and Franchising Board and will also be exempt from the number coding scheme.

“We want to provide an alternative that will move people faster (and) shift the culture from that of a car-riding to a bus-riding public,” Almendras said.

According to the DOTC, the bus system is also intended to prepare the public for the launch of the Interim Point-to-Point Bus Service in July next year, which will utilize “premium buses” equipped with security cameras, Wi-Fi connections, and global positioning system.

As to concerns that the additional buses would only worsen traffic congestion on Edsa, Almendras said a traffic count conducted by the TWG showed that buses would move faster if they are kept to their designated lanes.

“There is a total of 1,920 buses plying Edsa, but during peak hours we are still short because of the number of passengers. So these express buses will augment the ones (now in operation) during the rush hours,” he said.