MMDA to explore use of technology in solving MM traffic woes

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is eyeing the use of technology in solving traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim on Wednesday said the agency was exploring innovative solutions to decongest the roads of the National Capital Region.

“The MMDA is exploring innovative solutions aimed to reshape the traffic and transportation network, taking into account the cause of traffic in Metro Manila, home to an estimated daytime population of 15 million,” Lim said in a statement.

Lim said “it is high time” to explore the advantages of technology not only in solving  the traffic woes in the metropolis but also in formulating an affective  flood control system and in urban planning and renewal.

According to data from the MMDA, the number of vehicles on the roads of Metro Manila increased to 2,699,051 in 2017 from 2,628,987 in 2016.

Lim and other officials of MMDA are set to hold a forum with the International Fire and Security Exhibition and Conference to discuss solutions to the traffic congestion problem.

The forum, scheduled on Thursday, will also be joined by mayors and governors from Metro Manila and nearby areas as well as lawmakers and officials from the executive department.

“We hope that this would be an opportunity for lawmakers, decision makers, to consider ITS (Intelligent Traffic System) as a viable solution that can help us reduce traffic congestion to a large extent, like Metro Manila,” Lim said.

“We in the government are in best position to solve traffic problems that will greatly benefit residents not just in our respective communities but the entire National Capital Region,” he added.   /muf