HPG: Concrete barriers replacing plastics on Edsa

Blamed for some road mishaps, the orange plastic barriers separating lanes for private cars and passenger buses on Edsa would soon be replaced with concrete dividers, the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) of the Philippine National Police said on Friday.

Chief Supt. Arnold Gunnacao, HPG head, noted that a number of motorists had sideswiped the plastic barriers because of difficulty in changing lanes.

“There were complaints regarding the plastic barriers, so we will be replacing these with concrete ones which will be narrower. We hope there will be fewer accidents,” Gumacao told reporters on Friday.

The water-filled plastic barriers were first installed along sections of Edsa to mark the “Apec lanes” for international VIPs attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit hosted by the country in November last year.

Authorities have since decided to make them a fixture on the 23-kilometer Edsa, the country’s busiest highway, where 2.34 million vehicles pass through daily.

Last month, the Department of Public Works and Highways began installing the concrete barriers which are thinner by 10 inches than the 18-inch thick plastic separators.  The concrete barriers are also shorter, the HPG chief noted.

Vehicle flow along Edsa has improved except for the stretch from Kamuning to Cubao in Quezon City, according to Gumacao.

Traffic also tends to slow down near Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue and Ortigas Avenue because of motorists looking for parking spaces. “I think a solution there is to increase the number of parking spaces because of the volume of vehicles in these areas,” the official said.