MMDA chair: Changing U-turn slots part of 'urban growth'

MANILA, Philippines - The changing designations of U-turn slots around the capital is a way to adapt to urban growth, the head of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said.

In an interview with the Presidential Broadcast Staff on Tuesday, MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino explained that U-turn slots change to aid traffic flow in areas made prone to clogging as new buildings or commercial centers are constructed.

"Hindi permanent 'yan, bahagi 'yan ng urban growth na may kaakibat na pagdadala ng trapiko. Yung adjustments natin d'yan base sa pangangailangan," Tolentino said.

"Bahagi po ito ng ating pag-aayos ng sistema sa trapiko. Dahil may mga urban growth adjustment na dapat sundin," he added.

He said traffic authorities block some U-turn slots to open another also depends on the season such as in cases of holiday rush or sudden surge of motorists at certain times of the day.

"Merong area (along C5) na dating walang showroom ng kotse, nagkaroon ngayon. Nagkaroon din ng monolithic building para sa isang religious group. Nong ginawa yung u-turn slot, wala pa yun," he also said, giving as example adjustments MMDA made of the fifth dense beltway running across Manila.

MMDA has been blamed in the past for some faulty traffic management plans said to have worsened  what has been called a traffic crisis in the metro

While Tolentino admits there is no "silver bullet" to solve the problem, he said the high volume of vehicles heavily contributes to the increasing number of gridlocks especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

He urged motorists to cooperate with the agency's proposed projects by lessening their use of private vehicles whenever possible

"Marami kasi sa'tin isa lang ang laman ng sasakyan o dalawa. Try natin yung ginagawa sa ibang bansa na mas maraming high occupancy vehicles, yung yung pino-promote, pero sa atin medyo hindi nasusunod yon, medyo mahirap. Maraming options e," Tolentino said.