Metro mayors approve number coding for buses

Starting on November 15, public utility buses plying major roads in Metro Manila will have to comply with a number coding scheme approved by Metro Manila mayors approved on Friday. The mayors who form the Metro Manila Council agreed to implement the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) on an experimental basis. "We heed the people's voice as part of the consultative process. We also pledge to utilize all our available resources to find creative ways to solve our traffic woes," MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said on the MMDA website. However, the MMC, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority's governing body, also junked a proposal to re-implement the Odd-Even Scheme along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA). At the Friday meeting where the traffic schemes were presented for evaluation, the MMC also decided to create a Special Committee on Traffic headed by Mayor Herbert Bautista (Quezon City) and co-chaired by Mayor Del de Guzman (Marikina City). The Committee will craft guidelines on the UVVRP on buses together with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, headed by Atty. Nelson Laluces. "We will continue to enhance traffic enforcement, and we ask for the public's cooperation in the days ahead by observing road discipline and courtesy," Tolentino said. The odd-even scheme is part of a package of proposals made after evaluating a study conducted by the University of the Philippines National Center for Transportation Studies. According to the study, even under the current number coding scheme, EDSA private lanes have breached their maximum carrying capacity. Another study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency showed that EDSA could physically accommodate up to 1,600 buses; however, 3,800 city franchised buses currently ply EDSA. The MMC deemed it best to explore other innovative measures aimed at easing the traffic problem such as including the public buses in the current UVVRP or number coding scheme. It resolved to step up traffic enforcement measures and drivers' education, and crafting an Urban Transport Code of Corporate Social Responsibility, taking into consideration the general welfare of the people. "The Metro Manila Council always upholds the welfare of our citizens and other stakeholders by formulating people-centered urban development plans for the betterment of Metro Manila," Tolentino said. Present during the meeting were: