':[f il ruesonv sEPTEMBER 17,201e

mst.daydesk@ gmai I'com

Ban 0n private cars along EDSA proposed

By Maricel V. €ruz benefit from the scheme because will be allowed.
they did not focus on traffic man- He said this will help decongest
A LAWMAKER from Caloocan City agement before. Edsa, especially that the volume ofpr!
wants to ban private motor vehicles Erice said he plans to file a reso- vate vehicles that ply along the major
from Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, lution on the proposed scheme after road reaches up to 300,000 while the
Metro Manila's major circumferential meeting with the House metropol! buses number only about 8,000.
road, during rush hours. tan development committee chair- The 300,000 private cat ownets
Liberal Party Rep. Edgar Erice man and Manila Rep. Manny Lopez that would be affected should the said
proposed the ban to Metro Manila in lat€ September. He aims to have scheme be implemented could ei-
Development Authority officials the scheme implemented this year, ther leave their houses before 6 a.m.
during the budget hearing of the
preferably before the start of the or after 9 a.m., us€ routes or streets
agency on Monday. holiday season. outside Edsa or use public transport,
But MMDA spokesman Pircelyn But a congressman who thumbed Erice proposed.
Pialago said the members of the down Erice,s proposal said: .,The Erice said this "immediate and
Metro Manila Council and not the cheek of Congressman Erice to temporary solution" could be in
MMDA will decide whether they make that propo;al. It was his party effect until the completion of con-
will approve the proposals to solve mates who ciused the heavy tiaffii structioir works on North Luzon
the worsening traffic situation in the and now he wants to iir{lic}ihat ban Expressway-South Luzon Express-
metropolis that causes billions ofpe- on everybody." way connector, the Metro Manila
sos in revenue losses. The MRT 3 service deteriorated dur- subway, and the rehabilitation ofthe
The MMC, which composed of 17 ing the previous administrstion due to Metro Rail Transit Line 3.
mayors in Metro Manila, is the govern- neglect and the hiring ofa new mainte- When asked if motorcycles and
ing board and the policy making body nance provider ownid by members of transport network vehicle services
of the MMDA. the then ruling Liberal party. units will be considered as private ve-
Still, the MMDA said Monday it The new maintenance sirvice pro- hicles, the lawmaker said this still has
is_ open to all suggestions to solve vider failed to keep the trains running to be studied.
.'Metro Manila's traffic woes Meanwhile, he said that
and despite being paid billions of pesoi emergeney vehicles such as ambulanc-
expreqsp{ delight in receiving. an by the then Department of Trans- es will be exempt from the ban.
increasing number of suggbstions' "portdtlon and C-ommunications jed 'During the hedring, MMDA{ chaiF
fiom both the govetnment and pri- by the president of the Liberal party, man Danilo Lim said the agency will
vate sectors, Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo "seriously consider" the proposal and
Pialago said their office welcomes Abaya. Erice was a rabid apologist of will bring it up with Metro Manila
such suggestions in response to Erice's the previous administration, the law- mayors during their coming Metro Ma-
proposal to ban private vehicles from maker said. nila Council meeting in October.
plying EDSA during rush hours. Under Erice's proposal, private vehi- This developed as Quezon City
Critics said legislators will not be af- cles will be banned from EDSA from Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo called
fected by Erice's idea because ihey and 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. and from 6:00 to 9:00 on the Land Transportation Franchis-
their backup vehicles either use low- p.m. to decongest Metro Manila's busi- ing and Regulatory Board to issue
numbered license plates or red govern- est thoroughfare. a provisional authority for new buses
ment vehicle plates. During those hours, Erice said, that will serve Commonwealth to
It is only the legislators and other Edsa will be a "mass transport high- ease the plight of Stranded commut-
government functionaries that will way" and only public utility vehicles ers. With Joel E. Zurbano and PNA

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