THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Sunday warned of a stricter implementation of the no window hour policy starting October 17.
MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said the travel speed of vehicles along the stretch of Edsa has increased during the three-day dry run of the no-window hours policy from October 12 to 14, under the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or the number-coding scheme.
Based on the study of travel speed along Edsa made by the agency, the average travel speed taken on October 5 showed it took vehicles 15.84 kilometers per hour (kph) from Roxas Boulevardto Monumento and vice versa, with an average travel time of one hour, 27 minutes and 27 seconds. On the next day, October 6, vehicles plying the same route had an average speed of 15.91 kph and travel time of one hour, 27 minutes and one second.
On October 7 the average travel speed was 14.63 kph with travel time of 1 hour, 34 minutes and 38 seconds. However, when the dry run of the no-window hours started last Wednesday, October 12, the average travel time of vehicles traversing the same route was one hour, 16 minutes and 32 seconds, or a decrease of 10 minutes and 55 seconds. The travel speed also improved, with vehicles traveling at 18.09 kph or an increase of 2.25 kph.
On October 13 the travel time along Edsa—to and from Roxas Boulevard and Monumento—decreased by an average of 21 minutes and 17 seconds, while travel on October 14 showed a decrease of 13 minutes and 15 seconds in travel time and an increase of 2.39 kph in travel speed.
Orbos said the study showed the implementation of the no-window hours policy has an impact on improving the travel time and speed of vehicles plying Edsa.
“Considering the study done was during the trial run of the no-window hours, we expect the numbers to improve in the following days when the policy will be fully implemented and enforced on October 17,” Orbos said.
The MMDA official is asking the motoring public to cooperate and comply with the government agencies’ initiatives and measures in the following months to ease the traffic situation in Metro Manila.
Traffic personnel flagged down around 1,500 motorists for violating the no-window hours policy during the three-day trial run. The number-coding scheme’s window period, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be temporarily suspended for public and private vehicles from October 17 to January 31 next year.
During the dry run, PNP Highway Patrol Group personnel and MMDA traffic enforcers will conduct an information campaign by reminding motorists of the new rule instead of issuing traffic-violation tickets. Orbos said the simulation will help the IACT identify lapses before the implementation of the program.
After January 31, IACT will assess the impact of the no-window hours measure and determine if it has created a positive impact in alleviating traffic congestion in the metropolis. The assessment shall be submitted to the Metro Manila Council, which will decide if it will be extended or implemented permanently.
Based on MMDA records, the daily average of vehicles passing through Edsa has increased from 322,936 in 2010 to 360,417 in 2014. Around 80 percent of 360,417 are private vehicles.
The MMDA said traffic volume in Metro Manila is expected to increase by 20 percent in the coming months, as people go to shopping malls and markets to buy gifts and do errands.