23 car owners get tickets in road clearing ops

MANILA, Philippines — In just 30 minutes, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) issued 23 traffic violation tickets for illegally parked vehicles and even towed two cars during a road clearing operation yesterday morning.

The MMDA conducted the operation along Panay Avenue, which forms part of a mabuhay lane route.

Owners of attended illegally parked vehicles are fined P1,000 while those with unattended illegally parked vehicles are meted a P2,000 fine and their vehicle will be impounded.

MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said the agency will conduct regular clearing operations on all mabuhay lanes which serve as alternate routes for EDSA.

“The MMDA is serious in its bid to decongest EDSA and provide motorists with alternate routes that are passable and free from obstructions,” he stressed.

“We are closely coordinating with the local government units and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to ensure that these roads will be maintained obstruction-free,” he said.

Artes declared that the MMDA targets to totally clear Metro Manila roads of traffic obstructions, including illegally parked vehicles, within three months.

“We want to ensure that at the end of our term, we will turn over obstruction-free and orderly Metro Manila roads to the next administration,” he said.

Meanwhile, Artes said that there is still no need to expand the current number coding scheme implemented only in the afternoon rush hour as vehicle volume is still below pre-pandemic levels.

He also said that the increase in gasoline prices is a possible factor in the fewer number of vehicles traversing EDSA.