Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Vehicle volume previously caused traffic congestion on EDSA, but police said incidents are now to be blamed for traffic jams.
Traffic on EDSA has improved thanks to the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), yet things slow down because of accidents and stalled vehicles.
“In our three weeks experience, pagka walang tumitirik o walang aksidente, kahit napakarami ng sasakyan, napapaandar namin yan ng mabilis. Once nagkaroon ng aksidente o tumirik na sasakyan, sympre hindi naman pwedeng mag-counterflow yung wrecker natin, sasabay sya don sa agos nung sasakyan na nakatraffic, kaya antagal sila bago natanggal,” said HPG Commander Atty. Fortunato Guerrero.
Accidents stall traffic which gets heavier the longer the incident is cleared.
In September alone, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has recorded more than 650 accidents on EDSA – much lower than the almost 800 cases in August.
The MMDA is responsible for clearing road accidents, but how fast should this be done?
“Dapat mga less than 10 minutes or less than five kung maaari,” said MMDA personnel Vincent Lizada.
More than 270 CCTV cameras are installed all over the metro which can be viewed all inside the MMDA Metrobase. The cameras monitor not only traffic congestions, but also road accidents that could happen – day and night.
Keeping vehicles in good condition would prevent stalling, said the HPG, while driving safely would avoid accidents.
Practicing both would avoid road troubles and accidents that cause traffic jams.
