‘Allow ordinary motorists on EDSA busway during off-peak hours’

MANILA, Philippines — A former party-list lawmaker is calling on President Marcos to allow ordinary motorists to use the left-most lane along EDSA, which has been devoted for buses, during off-peak hours of the day.

Lito Atienza of party-list group Buhay proposed that private motorists be authorized to use the EDSA bus lane during off-peak hours, while “buses can be given this privilege during rush hours – two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.”

“It is so sad, even tragic, to see one lane empty most of the day, while ordinary citizens are cramped in the very limited roadway,” he said in a statement. Atienza also served at one time as chief of the Metro Manila Development Authority.

Atienza’s letter to Marcos enumerated several suggestions to address the worsening traffic conditions in Metro Manila using his experience during his three terms as mayor of Manila.

He suggested the “enforcement of the existing truck ban in many cities, especially in Manila and to remove the (shipping) containers and allow them access to the piers only at certain hours of the night.”

Atienza also sought to re-orient the training of traffic enforcers by making them fully concerned with freeing traffic flow and not merely wait for violators to be apprehended for possible extortion.

He also strongly suggested tapping all mayors and barangay leaders to work together in ensuring the smooth flow of traffic by removing all obstructions in their respective areas of responsibility.

Atienza called on the mayors to be very strict with construction companies who make use of the sidewalks and even inner streets to store materials and debris, without even bothering to clean these up after the construction is finished.

All mall owners should also be required to participate in the total effort in ensuring a more efficient traffic flow in areas surrounding their establishments, especially during rush hours.

“We believe that if the national and local government leaders, as well as the motorists themselves, work together, we would be able to achieve a smoother flow of traffic in major areas of the country,” Atienza stressed.