If you believe all avenues to avert the anticipated “carmageddon” from the upcoming rehabilitation of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) and Guadalupe Bridge have been exhausted, we’d argue otherwise. The escalating number of vehicles is a primary concern for those devising solutions to mitigate the problem before it fully materializes. However, some current approaches risk causing more confusion and disruption for motorists.
We simply cannot afford to have hapless motorists, especially those commuting to offices and businesses, caught in the resulting heavy traffic. Diverting them to smaller, already congested streets, away from EDSA, would severely disadvantage the economy by compromising productivity and wasting significant amounts of fuel.
The recent announcement that Skyway Stage 3, from Buendia to Bonifacio, will be toll-free offers a good alternative for bypassing the EDSA rehabilitation. But there are several more ideas worth considering.
One such idea is to reintroduce adjusted opening and closing hours for major malls along EDSA and even those on smaller roads where traffic will be diverted. While there are no precise figures for how many mall-goers drive their vehicles, the consistently full parking lots at these major EDSA malls attest to their significant contribution to traffic volume.
If this scheme proved effective for large malls in the past, authorities could also request major companies to adjust their office hours. Additionally, they could encourage leniency for employees commuting from distant parts of the metro. For instance, a Makati employee residing in Quezon City could be offered work-from-home options to avoid the daily hassle during EDSA’s closure.
Furthermore, authorities must now prioritize creating more extensive road networks within the metropolis and diverting large vehicles from inner roads. Over 600,000 new vehicles have been added to our roads in the past two years, with another 400,000 expected annually in the coming years. If constructing new elevated roads, similar to those in Japan or even existing sections of EDSA, proves a realistic alternative, it should be pursued.
Rehabilitating EDSA is merely one component of resolving our persistent traffic problem. Even after its completion, and vehicles return, the fundamental traffic issue will remain. Clearly, there’s still much more to be done.
