UPDATE: DOTr to suspend window hours for Number Coding Scheme on Oct 17

 

In a bid to decongest EDSA and C5 Road for the holidays, the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (i-ACT) is going to suspend the window hours from their Number Coding Scheme starting October 17.

CHRISTMAS RUSH. Traffic along EDSA has always been heavy, but it gets much worse once Christmas season hits. i-ACT, composed of the DOTr, the MMDA, the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG), the Land Transportation Office (LTO), and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTRFB), will suspend the window hours for its Number Coding Scheme starting Monday, October 17. Image grabbed from Wikimedia Commons

i-ACT, led by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), has come up with a resolution to suspend the window hours for private vehicles plying EDSA, C5, Roxas Boulevard, Alabang-Zapote Road, and the city of Mandaluyong under the Number Coding Scheme. Previously, only the cities of Makati and Las Piñas did not have window hours for the Number Coding Scheme.

NO MORE WINDOW HOURS. DOTr will take away the 5-hour window (10:00 am – 3:00 pm) for the Number Coding Scheme from October 17, 2016 to January 31, 2017. Image grabbed from DOTr Facebook page

The resolution will be implemented on October 17, with a dry-run happening from October 12 – 14. Reports say affected vehicles will not be apprehended during the dry-run; instead, offenders will be informed about the suspension of the window hours starting Monday.

At present, the Number Coding Scheme allows vehicles to use EDSA, C5, Roxas Blvd., and Alabang-Zapote Rd. for a 5-hour period (from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm) without being apprehended.

According to MMDA General Manager Thomas Orbos, they expect the volume of vehicles using EDSA and C5 to drop by as much as 20 percent. In a statement released yesterday, the suspension of the window hours will persist until January 31, 2017, after which i-Act will assess if it had a positive impact in decongesting affected roads and cities.

The assessment will be submitted to the Metro Manila Council, who will then decide if the implementation will be made permanent or merely extended.

EDSA and C5 Road are among Metro Manila’s main arteries, with thousands of vehicles going through each every hour. Recent MMDA data shows that EDSA is already bursting at the seams, with 7,500 vehicles passing per hour per direction, well beyond its 6,000-vehicle capacity.

 

Source: DOTr on Facebook, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star, DOTr website