Holiday traffic fix: Don’t park on Mabuhay Lanes

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

The Interagency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) will intensify road-clearing operations in the coming weeks on four of the 17 Mabuhay Lanes in Metro Manila to ease the expected traffic congestion during the holiday season.

Chief Supt. Antonio Gardiola, head of the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group and chief traffic officer of I-ACT, said they chose to prioritize the four routes because these are the ones that can be easily accessed by motorists coming from Edsa.

According to Gardiola, I-ACT has coordinated with the local government units (LGUs) where the four routes pass, such as Manila, Quezon City, San Juan City and Mandaluyong City. He added that the LGUs had committed to

support the clearing operations by lending their respective traffic enforcers.

The four Mabuhay Lanes identified by I-ACT as priority areas are as follows:

Route 1: From Edsa, turn right at West Avenue, right at Quezon Avenue, U-turn near Magbanua, right at Timog Avenue, right at T. Morato, right at E. Rodriguez, left at Gilmore, straight to Granada, right at Pinaglabanan or turn right at N. Domingo, left at Pinaglabanan, right at P. Guevarra, left at L. Mencias, right at Shaw Boulevard, left at Acacia Lane, right at F. Ortigas, left at F. Blumentritt, left at Coronado take Mandaluyong-Makati Bridge to destination. (Total: 14.54 kilometers)

Route 2: From Edsa, turn right at West Avenue, right at Del Monte Avenue, left at Sto. Domingo or Biak na Bato, right at Amoranto, left at Banawe or D. Tuazon, right at Maria Clara or Dapitan to destination. (Total: 6.5 km)

Route 4: From Quezon City to Makati City, take N. Domingo left to Blumentritt-Kalentong, left at Manalo Street, right at Marino, right at Luna Mencias, right at Shaw Boulevard, left at Acacia Lane, right at F. Ortigas, left at Primo Cruz, left at F. Blumentritt, Coronado take Mandaluyong-Makati Bridge or take Barangka Drive Pantaleon-Strella Bridge to destination. (Total: 6.32 km)

Route 7: From Edsa, take Estrella on ramp to Rockwell, straight to Pantaleon-Estrella Bridge, Barangka Drive, left at Nueve de Febrero, right at M. Martinez Avenue, straight to Gomezville, straight to Hoover to Wilson, left at Ortigas Avenue, Granada, right at N. Domingo, left at Hemady, right at Scout Tobias, left at Timog Avenue, right at Quezon Avenue to QMC, right at Visayas Avenue, left at Congressional Avenue, right at Mindanao Avenue to destination. (Total: 25.54 km)

The Mabuhay Lanes, previously called Christmas Lanes, is a network of alternative routes for motorists who want to avoid heavy traffic, especially during the holidays. According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), vehicular volume particularly in Edsa swells by as much as 20 percent during the Christmas season.

Local traffic enforcers will be deployed along the routes to ensure that erring motorists will not be able to obstruct the roadways, Gardiola said.

Harmonizing ordinances

With regard to streets officially designated by the local government as pay parking zones, the official cited a need to “harmonize” ordinances with existing national laws to avoid conflict.

In November last year, San Juan City officials and MMDA personnel had a confrontation when the former invoked their ordinance allowing vehicles to park for a fee along Club Filipino Avenue and Annapolis Street. The MMDA, on the other hand, was supposed to tow the cars parked along these roads for they are part of the Mabuhay Lanes.

Three months later, the local government revised its ordinance, and only allowed pay parking on one side of the roads./rga