MANILA, Philippines — A group on Tuesday lauded the rejection of bus operators’ proposal to bring back yellow bus lanes along EDSA, which they said could cause a return of “massive” traffic in the busy thoroughfare.
In a statement, the Green EDSA Movement (GEM) commended the Metro Manila Development Authority for rejecting the bus operators’ request that, they said, would have allowed the redeployment of up to 3,000 bus units along EDSA by reverting to the use of the defunct two curbside yellow bus lanes.
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“The highly inefficient yellow bus lane system was discarded and abandoned for bringing on massive traffic congestion, pollution and environmental degradation along EDSA, the busiest major thoroughfare in Metro Manila,” Jose de Jesus, head of the GEM technical working group, said.
“Around 3,500 buses — a good number of which were rundown and dilapidated — jammed EDSA bumper-to-bumper, many times empty or half empty,” he added.
In June 2020, the EDSA Busway and Bus Carousel Line was introduced by Department of Transportation under Secretary Arthur Tugade.
This EDSA Busway had a one-day peak ridership of 454,649 on Dec. 27, 2022, using no more than 550 bus units on the one-lane busway at the innermost lane, per information released by the DOTr.
GEM’s de Jesus said “the substantial reduction of carbon emission along EDSA will greatly contribute to the containment of global boiling climate change”.