Orbos: MMDA open to return of ‘odd-even’

BOODLE BONDING Newly appointed Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Thomas Orbos gets to know his men during a boodle fight at the agency’s Makati City headquarters. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

SHOULD Pasig City’s partial implementation of the odd-even traffic scheme on one of its busy roads work out, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) may consider reimplementing it again in the metropolis.

“The solution to traffic needs to be dealt with more seriously. It can’t always be one solution. Let’s see. If it works, then it’s something to consider,” MMDA General Manager Thomas Orbos said on Tuesday, referring to the local government’s initiative.

Pasig City started implementing on Aug. 16 an experimental  odd-even scheme covering only the westbound lane of F. Legazpi Bridge, stretching from East Bank Road to M. Eusebio Avenue. Under the traffic policy, vehicles with license plates ending in 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 are banned from the area on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

On the other hand, vehicles with license plates ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 cannot use that portion of the road on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Review needed

While discussing traffic solutions with reporters last week, Orbos said that he was open to the possible return of the odd-even scheme which was introduced by his brother over two decades ago. However, he pointed out the need to review the policy as the traffic situation in Metro Manila has gotten worse over the years.

“We need to revisit [its mechanics]. The challenges are now more serious than before,” he told media.

To help address road congestion in the metropolis in 1990, then Transportation Secretary Oscar Orbos introduced the odd-even scheme. Under the program, private vehicles with license plates ending in odd numbers were barred from the streets from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Those ending in even numbers, on the other hand, were prohibited from going out on the road during the same hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Its modified version was introduced in 1996 and 1997, before it was replaced a year later by the current Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program.

Different situation

When the odd-even scheme was first implemented, Metro Manila had a population of only around 7.9 million while registered vehicles totaled just 684,700.

During a previous Senate hearing on the possible granting of emergency powers to President Duterte to address the traffic crisis, former MMDA Chair Emerson Carlos said that the metropolis now accounts for 26.6 percent of all registered vehicles nationwide or around 2.3 million cars.

He added that given car manufacturers’ projection of a 30 percent increase in vehicle sales, Metro Manila will have three million registered cars by year-end. This may be a cause for concern given that the main thoroughfare of Edsa was well-above its carrying capacity of 6,000 vehicles per hour per direction. In July, the MMDA recorded 7,500 vehicles plying along Edsa per hour per direction.

When asked to comment on the no-garage, no-car policy earlier proposed by then Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, Orbos said that while he was in favor of the measure, the government must take into consideration its overall impact on the public. “We have to look at best practices done by other countries,” he added.