MMDA to public: Be patient and cool this Christmas weekend

Traffic gridlock along Edsa. EDWIN BACASMAS / INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) calls on the public to be more patient and cool on the road especially as the Christmas weekend approaches when an additional 60,000 cars are estimated to clog up the streets particularly Edsa.

Jojo Garcia, the MMDA’s assistant general manager for planning, said on Tuesday that because of the expected congestion, motorists should exercise discipline on the road and not be hot-headed to avoid causing road crashes which may further aggravate the traffic situation.

Due to the Christmas rush, an additional 20 percent of cars from nearby provinces will be on the road this season, he said.

This means that another 60,000 cars will fill the major thoroughfare of Edsa, which to date is already being used by around 300,000 cars daily.

According to Garcia, shoppers from the provinces of Rizal, Laguna, Cavite and Bulacan traditionally troop to Metro Manila in order to avail themselves of affordable goods for the holidays.

He noted that because of this, shoppers and motorists alike should plan ahead so that they would not sit in hours-long traffic.

Garcia added that the public should also take advantage of the 17 Mabuhay Lanes, which the MMDA would continue to clear of obstructions and illegally parked vehicles during the holidays, so motorists would have alternate routes to take to reach their destinations.