‘PUVs only’ on Edsa? Let’s get real–MMDA

MANILA, Philippines–The idea is apparently heading straight toward a dead-end street.

A proposal made by an official of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to allow only public utility vehicles (PUVs) on Edsa during the morning rush hour failed to gain traction at the very agency tasked to untangle the daily traffic jams in the metropolis.

The scheme, broached earlier this week by LTFRB member Ariel Inton, was practically shot down Tuesday by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Francis Tolentino, who said the scheme “may not be realistic.”

“We expect many people not to favor this scheme as individuals buy their own cars because of the lack of a modern mass transit system in the country,” Tolentino said. “The main problem is really the sheer volume of people in the metropolis, with Edsa operating at overcapacity.”

He doubted if PUVs alone—mainly buses, taxis and the Metro Rail Transit—could accommodate the number of private car owners who would be barred from using their vehicles on Edsa under Inton’s plan.

Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, for example, the MMDA recorded more than 240,000 private vehicles taking the major thoroughfare, Tolentino said.

In an interview Tuesday morning on Radyo Inquirer, Inton clarified that he only made a “personal” suggestion and not an official proposal from the LTFRB. He was appointed board member by President Aquino in June.

He only came up with the idea after a meeting with public transport groups, Inton stressed. “They wanted to be given priority since they serve the bigger part of the Metro Manila population,” he added.

Under Inton’s proposal, private vehicles would be barred from using the 24-kilometer Edsa from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on four weekdays, an arrangement that would require changing the current number coding scheme implemented by the MMDA.