Vehicles moving faster in Metro, says Binay

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported yesterday that average vehicle speed on the roads of Metro Manila has increased by more than two kilometers per hour from 1998 to year 2000.

MMDA chairman Jejomar Binay noted that motor vehicles traverse the major roads, particularly EDSA, at an average speed of 25.84 kilometers per hour based on data from last year.

The average speed has improved from 14.5 kilometers an hour in 1999 and 12 kilometers per hour in 1998.

Binay attributed the improvement to the infrastructure developments during the past three years along the stretch of EDSA.

Specifically, Binay noted the completion of the Metrostar Express (MRT-3) project traversing the stretch of EDSA from Quezon City to Pasay City.

Volume of vehicles as well as commuter traffic was significantly reduced with the introduction of the MRT-3 as more motorists opted for the convenience of taking the traffic-free trains.

The construction of flyovers also contributed to the speed of the vehicles as it provided an alternative means of passage for the vehicles.

In the previous years before the construction of flyovers, motorists had to deal with long queues as access to their points of destination was limited to a single stretch of road.

The combined effect of increases in the volume of vehicles as well as the operations of public utility vehicles has contributed to the worsening pace of traffic in the metropolis.

In line with the increase in the speed of vehicles, Binay also cited the improvements in the travel time since the infrastructure projects were instituted.

Travel time from the end point of EDSA in Monumento to the other end in Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City has been significantly reduced from a range of one to two hours to less than an hour. – Marvin Sy