Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Authorities are scrapping the so-called window hours for private vehicles on EDSA and C-5 beginning Oct. 17.
Currently, private vehicles affected by the plate-number-coding scheme on a particular day have window hours — from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — when they can pass through EDSA and C-5 without being apprehended.
However, under the new rules, private vehicles affected by the coding scheme will be banned from the two major thoroughfares from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“Based dun sa Traffic Engineering, it should be around 18 to 20 percent ang mababawas” [Based on the Traffic Engineering Division, the scheme should lead to around 18 to 20 percent less congestion], said Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Thomas Orbos.
Data from the MMDA shows that vehicle volumes every day are above the roads’ capacities.
EDSA, for example, has a maximum capacity of 6,000 vehicles per hour per direction. But as of July 2016, 7,500 vehicles pass along EDSA every hour per direction.
But transport officials said the average speed along EDSA increased by 0.78 km/h during the first 100 days of President Rodrigo Duterte as a result of continuous sidewalk clearing operations and the towing of illegally parked vehicles.
Since the new administration took over, 170,000 traffic violators were apprehended, with over 1,000 violators being sidewalk vendors.
