MANILA, Philippines - A family fun run organized by the Manila city government caused a massive traffic gridlock along Roxas Boulevard in Manila yesterday afternoon.
Both southbound and northbound lanes of the major road, from Katigbak Drive to P. Ocampo Sr. street, were closed to traffic because of the event, which started at around 4 p.m.
The run, in which over 2,000 people participated, started and ended at the Rajah Sulayman Plaza.
Motorists, most of whom were unaware of the event, were rerouted to the service road on the northbound lane going to Quirino Avenue, according to the Manila Traffic District.
As of 5 p.m., the tailend of the traffic jam reached Gil Puyat Avenue. By 6:30 p.m., both lanes of Roxas Boulevard were opened to vehicular traffic.
Manila traffic chief Senior Superintendent Rizaldy Yap said they “did not expect this” volume of vehicular traffic.
“Usually, traffic is lighter on a Sunday. But our men are already handling the situation properly,” he told The STAR in a phone interview. Yap also said they had issued a traffic advisory last Friday to inform the public of the event. – Edu Punay