MMDA studying possibility of banning motorcycles from Edsa

Motorcycle riders may soon be banned from Edsa, a possibility being considered by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to reduce the number of vehicles and road crash incidents along the major thoroughfare.

According to Bong Nebrija, MMDA operations supervisor, the Metro Manila Council (MMC) tasked the agency to conduct a comprehensive study on the proposed policy, considering that motorcycles account for the highest fatal crash rate in Metro Manila.

The MMC, composed of all 17 Metro Manila mayors, is the policymaking arm of the MMDA.

Based on the MMDA’s data, 218 of 426 fatal crashes last year involved motorcycles.

From January to September this year, the agency has already recorded 157 fatal crashes involving motorcycles.

In Edsa, motorcycles are the second largest group of vehicles using the highway, at 65,757.

Cars top the list at 278,657.

According to the MMDA, Edsa is already well beyond its carrying capacity of 6,000 vehicles per hour per direction, as it now handles 7,500 vehicles per hour per direction.

Nebrija assured motorcycle riders on Friday that the MMDA would not haphazardly implement the policy, pointing out that their traffic engineers would thoroughly study it.

“We will also get the sentiments of the motorcycle riders,” he said.

If the plan pushes through, Nebrija noted that there are alternate routes, like the 17 Mabuhay Lanes, which riders could use. /atm