Life on the road after Friday the 13th

Even the MMDA has admitted there will be “monstrous traffic” when the long-delayed, often announced and finally scheduled repair of EDSA begins on June 13, the weekend before school starts on June 16.

An infographic – released, I assume, by the DOTr since it features prominently the photo of the secretary – gives basic information on the “full rehabilitation of EDSA’s 24-kilometer stretch, not just reblocking,” which will take 1.5 to two years. Phase 1 covers Roxas Blvd. to Guadalupe and will run from June 13, 2025 to early 2026. Phase 2 from Guadalupe to Cubao will be until mid-2026 and Cubao to Monumento until the end of 2026, barring unforeseen glitches and delays.

Other details from the infographic:

Work will be done “lane by lane, segment by segment,” starting from “the middle lanes, moving outward to keep traffic flowing.”

“A rerouting plan is being finalized…such as Mabuhay Lane and C5,” as well as a proposal to “open Buendia-Quezon Ave. on Skyway 3 toll free, with TRB possibly covering the cost (the proposal has reportedly been approved, to start in July, but government is still studying how it will compensate the Skyway operator for lost revenue).” Clearing of parked cars on Mabuhay Lanes will again, for the nth time, be undertaken.

The stretch from Roxas Blvd. in Pasay to Shaw Blvd. in Mandaluyong will be prioritized due to our hosting of the ASEAN summit in 2026.

The bus lane stays, and it will be the first to be worked on, so buses will take one of the three remaining lanes, leaving just two – or less – lanes for all other vehicles, including maniac motorcycles (there is a plan to have a lane exclusively for those maniacs). The DOTr plans to add more buses and more trains to the MRT line that runs along EDSA, to get folks to use public transport.

Since our office moved to Sucat in Parañaque in late 2023, EDSA has been part of my daily commute. Fortunately, my work hours do not have me on the road during rush hour, so the drive on EDSA has not been as stressful as I had imagined it would be. But that could drastically change when the repair works begin. I do hope the DPWH, which will do the actual rehab work, will go at it with a real sense of urgency, like working 24/7 as they do in other countries when major roadworks are done in urban centers.

I have been exploring possible alternate routes. Skyway 3 toll-free should help, but would that mean traffic jams there too? C5 and C5 Link and new connector roads is a possibility which I should check out. But then, if most people are going to take alternate routes, maybe EDSA, even with fewer lanes, might still be doable. Let’s see if the odd-even scheme, implemented the whole day without any window hours, has a positive effect on vehicle volume on EDSA. During the one-week dry run starting June 16, violators will not be issued tickets, so let’s see how many drivers will willingly comply.

The implementation of the NCAP on EDSA and six other major thoroughfares in the metropolis is supposed to mitigate the expected “monstrous traffic.” Started yesterday, I hope the MMDA has worked out the processes and details of the system; “no contact” should also mean no contact in paying fines or contesting alleged violations. The MMDA has said motorists need not go to the MMDA office to do so, and I hope the online system will work as efficiently as the ticketing system.

Will the MMDA please put back the countdown timers on stoplights at major intersections, especially the ones covered by NCAP. The timers will let responsible motorists know when to slow down (pasaway drivers will always try to beat the light, so they should be ticketed) so they are not caught in the middle of an intersection when the light turns yellow. I have, on several occasions – as I am sure many others have – found myself already well within the yellow intersection box when the traffic light turns yellow; am I supposed to continue on and risk getting cited for ignoring the stoplight or do I stop and risk getting cited for trespassing into the yellow box?

I wait with bated breath to see what my life on the road will be like starting Friday the 13th and for the next 18 months. Hopefully I’m just seeing “monsters” on EDSA where maybe there won’t be any (or, at least, not so fearsome) and we will not have regular carmaggedons when it rains. I hope, I hope.

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On a positive note: Here’s a shout out to TESDA – the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority – and a call for young folks to consider a course or two at TESDA after senior high school instead of a four-year college course.

I’m not anti university or anti education, but a BA or BS degree might not be for everyone. If one has a natural aptitude for something – say, an inclination towards mechanical things – honing your skills through a short tech-voc course could lead to immediate employment and a productive and lucrative career.

Last week I needed to have my air conditioners serviced as one unit wasn’t doing its job of cooling. Two technicians – cousins, it turned out – showed up with their equipment – a retractable ladder, a trolley, a compressor, hose, two buckets, two bags of tools, cleaning solutions and an assortment of sponges and brushes and rags – all on a motorcycle.

Those two were efficiency personified: checked the units, diagnosed a defective capacitor in the problem unit and one guy went out to get a replacement while his cousin stayed behind to clean the three other units.

In a little over two hours they were done, so I’m well prepared for the climate change-induced heat waves.

I detail this experience because it turns out the tech guy had opted to take a three-month course at TESDA instead of a college course. It was very hands on, he said, and you learn by actually working on aircon units rather than theoretical lectures and classwork. Since he was a good student, TESDA helped with placement in a company for on-the-job training. After that, he was hired by a big appliance store.

Now he and his cousin are freelancers, attached to an appliance repair company through which I had booked the service. They do good work and are much in demand, sometimes taking three bookings a day.