NLEX traffic expected to triple on Nov. 1

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — Heading for the north for All Saints’ Day? Brace yourself for heavy traffic, keep your car in tip-top shape, drive safely and stay cool.

Central Luzon Traffic Management Group chief Senior Superintendent Elmer Soria said traffic volume on the North Luzon Expressway (NLE) and other major roads in Central Luzon is expected to reach 60,000 vehicles on Nov. 1 — triple the usual 20,000 cars, trucks and buses that ply these routes daily.

"Traffic might be inevitable in these areas, but some discipline among drivers would make traffic flow smoother," Soria said. "I ask motorists to be patient and not resort to overtaking when traffic slows down or stops."

Soria identified choke points along these routes: MacArthur Highway in Sta. Cruz, Lubao, Pampanga, heading toward Subic Freeport in Zambales; the Guagua-Bacolor boundary in Pampanga, where vehicles are being rerouted to the dry Pasig-Potrero riverbed while repairs to the bridge spanning the river channel are ongoing; the Mabalacat-Bamban road leading to Baguio City on the boundary between Tarlac and Pampanga; and the Magalang-Concepcion road between Pampanga and Tarlac that serves as an alternate route to Baguio.

Soria said all 67 regional TMG personnel will be deployed along strategic points of the NLE and other major highways in Central Luzon.

The TMG personnel will be assisted by 25 new TMG recruits while police personnel from the local government units bisected by these roads will also be sent out to help ease traffic along, he added.

Volunteers from non-government organizations, Soria said, will man tents that will serve as motorist assistance points at gasoline stations along these roads.

"These motorist assistance points would also have ambulances for highway emergencies. Those manning the assistance points have two-way radios and a list of the nearest hospitals where accident victims can be rushed," Soria said.

According to Soria, "there are no instructions to establish checkpoints amid terrorist threats, but I suppose that local government units (LGUs) have already come out with their own measures against possible terrorist threats."

Soria advised motorists to conduct a full vehicle check before traveling, to ensure that they have enough gasoline and water and that their vehicles are in good working order. By ensuring that their cars are fit for the journey, Soria said, motorists can ease the traffic flow – because vehicle breakdowns inevitably cause severe traffic jams.

Soria also said the TMG will be tolerant of tricycles plying the NLE, but he advised tricycle drivers to use the road shoulders for their safety and the safety of their passengers.