MMDA starts new traffic scheme along Commonwealth

MANILA, Philippines - Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino is confident that accidents along Quezon City's "killer highway" will be lessened by the agency's new traffic scheme, which took effect on Tuesday.

"Positive po ako na mare-reduce natin ang accidents. In fact, ngayong araw walang nai-report sa akin na accident dito sa Commonwealth Avenue," Tolentino said in an interview on ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda."

Tolentino personally led the MMDA contingent deployed along Commonwealth Avenue during the first day of implementation of the 60-kilometer per hour speed limit along the 12.4 kilometer highway.

Aside from the speed limit, the MMDA also started implementing lane segregation along Commonwealth Avenue.

Under the lane segregation scheme, the right-most lanes are for buses while the second lane next to the bus lane is for motorcycles and jeepneys.

The other 5 lanes of the highway are for private vehicles with 2 lanes set for vehicles who will take U- turn slots.

Tricycles, meanwhile, are banned from using the highway under the new scheme.

The MMDA reported that as of 7 a.m., 24 tricycles were apprehended for violating the ban, and 24 buses were flagged down and issued tickets for violating breaching the "bus lane" or the yellow lane.

Eleven motorcycles that entered the yellow lane were also arrested, and 2 passenger jeepneys were stopped for defective headlights.

Eight buses and passenger jeepneys were also apprehended for obstruction.

Tolentino said that the MMDA deployed at least 140 traffic enforcers along Commonwealth Avenue. He added that they are using more than 20 speed guns.

Tolentino said that if the new scheme becomes successful, the MMDA will study the possibility of implementing the same scheme in major thoroughfares in Metro Manila, including Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA). (report from ABS-CBN News)