Valenzuela lifts NLEX permit suspension

MANILA, Philippines — The toll holiday in Valenzuela City ended yesterday after Mayor Rex Gatchalian lifted the suspension of the business permit of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Corp.

This means that NLEX will be able to collect toll again from motorists passing through Valenzuela.

Gatchalian said both parties agreed to lift the barriers from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. to speed up traffic at toll gates.

The toll barriers will be put down from 10:01 p.m. to 4:59 a.m. to address authorities’ concerns about the truck ban and the entry of unauthorized vehicles and lawless elements, Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian and NLEX officials came to an agreement after a meeting on Monday when they discussed complaints about bottlenecks caused by faulty radio frequency identification (RFID) sensors.

Both parties also agreed to reinstate cash lanes at strategic toll plazas, upgrade the RFID cashless payment system and create a technical working group to improve traffic and account management.

Gatchalian issued Executive Order 2020-338, conditionally lifting the suspension of NLEX’s business permit following the signing of a deed of undertaking.

NLEX Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista agreed to lift the barriers with the end goal of adopting a barrier-less toll plaza in the future.

The company said it plans to shift to an open road tolling system using gantries instead of barriers in the next two to three years.

Gatchalian said the toll operator risks having its permit suspended again if it violates the agreement.

The NLEX Corp. promised to upgrade the RFID system for real time loading amid complaints of missing or untimely credit, improve applications to make it user-friendly and streamline registration process, among other undertakings it promised to fulfill by Jan. 30, 2021.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) spokesman Romulo Quimbo clarified that the barriers-up system would be implemented only in Valenzuela, where six toll plazas are located.

The MPTC vowed to improve the cashless toll transactions at NLEX, which caused traffic gridlocks due to defective RFID stickers and sensors.