San Miguel beefs up personnel in tollways
SAN Miguel Corp. (SMC) said on Wednesday it expects holiday traffic to peak this week, prompting it to deploy traffic management processes to reduce the impact of heavy vehicle volumes.
SMC said it has deployed additional traffic management personnel at all its tollways—the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), South Luzon expressway (SLEX), the Skyway System, NAIA expressway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union expressway (TPLEX)—TO provide roadside assistance to motorists, and help manage the flow of vehicles at exit points.
“Traffic buildup and congestion at our expressways, ports, and airports is something we all expect at this time of the year, especially as restrictions have fully eased. We appeal to our motorists for their patience and understanding as we anticipate heavy traffic,” SMC President Ramon S. Ang said in a statement.
he also advised motorists to “plan their trips ahead to avoid lengthy delays.”
“What would be a big help is if we all plan our trips well ahead, and leave earlier to allot more time for travel, especially if you are catching a flight or scheduled bus trips. For motorists, we also suggest to please make sure your vehicles are in good condition, and that your electronic toll collection accounts are topped up, to prevent any delays to you and others.”
Aside from the deployment of additional personnel, Ang said that its recently-launched “Seamless Southern Tollways” initiative is also part of its preparations for the holiday rush.
The program cuts down toll stops for motorists headed south via the Skyway System, SLEX, and STAR from five to just two--their entry and exit points--and turns the Calamba, SLEX Greenfield, and Sto. Tomas, Batangas toll plazas into pass-through lanes, reducing potential traffic chokepoints.
“We implemented the Seamless Southern Tollways initiative so motorists will no longer need to make as many stops and can fully enjoy seamless travel along Skyway, SLEX, and STAR. We started implementation last December 1, so that motorists can start feeling its benefits during the busy Christmas season. SMC Infrastructure had been working to complete the program since early this year, and we’re glad to report that so far, feedback on the initiative has been very positive,” said Ang.
In another development, Ang announced that it will be waiving the toll at STAR, SLEX, Skyway, NAIAX, and TPLEX between December 24 and December 25, as well as from December 31 to January 1.