NLEx traffic snarl at start of holiday exodus

BOCAUE, Bulacan – Northbound motorists were queued for almost an hour along the Balintawak toll gate of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) on Saturday, December 21, prompting its operators to remind motorists to sign up with the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system.

Saturday was the first day when motorists flock to north Luzon for the yuletide break, but few took advantage of the RFID booth at the Balintawak Toll Plaza.

Of the frequent NLEx travelers, only 25 to 30 percent of vehicles are RFID users, said J. Luigi Bautista, NLEx Corporation president and general manager. Most vehicles still pay cash at the booths.

On December 21, NLEx Corp. activated 24 collection points at its Balintawak toll plaza, 10 at its Mindanao toll plaza, and 21 at its Tarlac toll plaza to speed up transactions at the start of the holiday exodus to the provinces.

From December 26 to January 5, the firm will install up to 60 collection points in the main Bocaue Toll Barrier to accommodate Manila-bound motorists. Toll tellers at the Tarlac City and Tipo Subic toll plazas will be ready to issue pre-encoded transit tickets to reduce waiting time.

The tollway company anticipates a 10 percent surge in traffic volume along NLEx from December 19 to January 6, 2020. Carmela Reyes-Estrope