‘No window hour’ scheme starts today

MANILA, Philippines - Starting today, the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (IACT) will implement a new policy removing the window hours for the number coding scheme along major thoroughfares in Metro Manila. 

Among the areas covered by the “no window hour” policy are EDSA, C-5 Road, Roxas Boulevard and Zapote Road as well as the cities of Makati, Las Piñas and Mandaluyong.

Under the number coding scheme, vehicles are not allowed to traverse major roads in the metropolis from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on a certain day of the week depending on the last digit of the license plate.

Traffic enforcers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) pulled over more than 2,000 motorists during the three-day dry run of the no window hour last week.

Motorists caught violating the policy will be issued traffic citation tickets and fined P300, the MMDA said.

Traffic enforcers of the MMDA, Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group and local government units will be deployed in areas covered by the new traffic scheme.

The IACT said the policy would be implemented until Jan. 31 next year to help ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

After Jan. 31, the IACT will assess the impact of the no window hour rule and determine if it helped alleviate traffic jams in Metro Manila.

The assessment will be submitted to the Metro Manila Council, composed of the 17 mayors in the metropolis, to decide if the measure will be made permanent.