EDSA Bus Lane to remain

The EDSA Bus Lane will remain, for now. This is the final word from Transportation Sec. Jaime Bautista which President Bongbong Marcos Jr. endorsed after a suggestion from the MMDA that the said priority lane be removed and reverted to the use by all vehicles to alleviate traffic on EDSA. Many have objected to withdrawing the said EDSA lane. There is supposedly no basis for the claim the EDSA Bus Lane is deemed redundant once the MRT-3 increases its capacity to service more passengers. But the distance serviced by the two routes is different. The EDSA Bus Lane runs from Monumento to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) while the MRT-3 only runs from North Ave. to Taft Ave. Even if the capacity of the MRT-3 is increased it still travels a shorter route.

Recently, three personnel of the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) were relieved from duty after an incident on the EDSA Bus Lane. Two HPG motorcycle-riding officers used the EDSA Bus Lane and ordered traffic enforcers of the Dept. of Transportation Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation to stop their operations. A third HPG officer even mentioned the name of PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil. The HPG clarified that Gen. Marbil had nothing to do with the officer’s statement. It was just the officer's personal opinion. I guess even police officers name-drop, not just private individuals.

Many motorists pass through the EDSA Bus Lane even if they are not authorized. As expected, most of them are motorcycle riders who use the lane if they don’t see traffic enforcers around, especially at underpasses. There are unauthorized government officials or their relatives who also try to pass through and sometimes become belligerent once apprehended. Some feel entitled to use the priority lane. Aside from public buses, only a few are authorized to use the said EDSA lane. The fine should be increased and the license suspended for several months immediately if unauthorized users are apprehended. That should serve as a deterrent.

All motorists know how bad traffic is on EDSA. There is nothing to do but endure and get used to it. Knowing what times are light and using navigation apps to get around. There is also a plan to rehabilitate the whole length of EDSA so this will add to the burden of motorists. The EDSA Bus Lane benefitted thousands of commuters since its inception. If the old system is restored where public buses stop and gather passengers anywhere, commuters will have to deal with that all over again. There is a saying that if it is not broken, don't fix it.