Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Ba-yani Fernando said yesterday that he is phasing out bus stops throughout EDSA and allowing passenger buses to park on the outer lane of EDSA for "as long as they like" to decongest the traffic jams typical of the major thoroughfare.
"If the drivers want to sleep, then they may sleep" while parked in the designated bus parking lane, Fernando told reporters at the weekly Ciudad Fernandina forum in San Juan.
The new MMDA scheme will designate three of EDSA’s five lanes exclusively for buses. The outer lane will be the loading and unloading zone for buses, the second lane will serve as the buses’ passageway and the third will be the express lane.
Under the new scheme, the passenger buses must stay in the inner lane to pick up and unload passengers and use the second lane to move on — they cannot load and unload passengers in any other lane.
While buses will be allowed to park in the designated EDSA lane for as long as their drivers wish to remain there, Fernando said passengers will also be given a fair shake: "We will give the drivers the freedom they want, but we will also empower the passenger to get out of the bus if they do not like it." Once a passenger decides he or she wants to alight the parked bus after three minutes on it, they should be refunded the fare they paid, Fernando said.
Passengers who are denied refunds by bus conductors may report this matter to MMDA traffic enforcers for proper action.
Besides the bus and PUV lanes, Fernando is also looking at creating transport hubs for PUVs to serve as terminals where commuters can wait for their rides.
These terminals will be situated on government-owned property in the northern and southern ends of EDSA. Some of the possible sites for these terminals include the Public Estate Authority (PEA) property along Roxas Boulevard and idle land offered by Valenzuela City for use as a terminal.
Installing such transport terminals was an idea espoused by the Metro Manila Urban Transport Integration Study, which called for the development of inter-modal transport hubs to ease traffic along major thoroughfares.
Fernando also observed that most commuters await buses on street corners along EDSA: "If you notice, the passengers can be found on the corner because that is where they feel safe. The police are there, so they think they can avoid criminals preying on them." However, he also underscored the need to remove sidewalk obstructions, such as vendors’ makeshift stalls, to help beat policemen do their jobs better: "How can policemen run after criminals (if) they will stumble over some stalls, baskets and even clotheslines that are in the way?"
Fernando also reiterated during the forum his intent to clear the streets of sidewalk vendors and squatters in order to decongest traffic. The MMDA will demolish all illegally built structures such as barangay halls, huge billboards, barbecue and burger stands, basketball courts and other structures that block the streets and impound all illegally parked vehicles.
This three lane scheme will include other public utility vehicles (PUVs) that ply the stretch of EDSA.
Fernando said the MMDA will begin painting the yellow lines that will define these PUV and bus lanes once the rains stop so the three lane scheme can be implemented properly.
In a related development, Fernando also said he is inclined to abolish the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction (UVVRP) or color-coding scheme once the metropolis’ secondary roads are completely cleared of obstructions.
Fernando reiterated his stand that subdivision roads must be opened up for the use of the commuting and motoring public because of the limited roads available to motorists.
The MMDA chief said he expects a tough battle for the opening of subdivision roads, but remains optimistic that the residents of these subdivisions will eventually come to understand the need to compromise for the greater good of the majority. — With Non Alquitran, Marvin Sy