Metro Manila to be divided into 10 sectors to ease traffic

To better address the worsening traffic in Metro Manila, the Interagency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) is looking at dividing the capital into 10 sectors and having a single traffic code which motorists should follow.

At the start of the three-day I-ACT meet on Wednesday at the University of the Philippines National Center for Transportation Studies, officials said that should Congress grant emergency powers to President Duterte to solve the traffic crisis, Metro Manila would be divided into 10 sectors to enable authorities to efficiently manage the traffic situation in the capital.

Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela cities will compose the northern traffic sector, while Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina and San Juan cities will make up the eastern traffic sector. Manila, on the other hand, will form the western traffic sector.

Makati, Pasay, Taguig cities and the town of Pateros will form the Southern 1 sector, while Parañaque, Las Piñas and Muntinlupa cities will be the Southern 2 sector.

Division on Edsa

The major thoroughfare of Edsa will be divided into three sectors: Central 1, which will handle the highway’s western side; Central 2, which will manage the eastern side; and the Edsa sector, which will manage the rest of the highway. C5 and Commonwealth will form part of the remaining two other traffic sectors.

10,300 personnel needed

For this, the I-ACT, headed by the Department of Transportation and composed of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group, would need at least 10,300 personnel. Currently, there are only more than 8,600 enforcers manning the metropolitan roads.

The I-ACT also stressed the need to integrate laws, ordinances and department orders of various local governments and traffic-related agencies to avoid confusion among motorists and to ensure a uniform implementation of traffic rules.

Each city currently implements different traffic codes. Case in point is Pasig City which recently implemented an experimental odd-even scheme to address its own traffic woes.

The I-ACT also hopes that once the emergency powers have been granted, operational control of traffic enforcement of local governments and the local police will be under one agency.