Senators seek suspension of MMDA’s driver-only ban

The Senate approved yesterday a resolution calling on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to immediately suspend the implementation of the ban on driver-only vehicles during rush hours along EDSA.

Introduced by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senate Resolution 845 was unanimously adopted yesterday, with all the senators present during the session included as co-authors. The resolution urges the Metro Manila Council to recall MMDA Regulation 18-005, which designated all lanes of EDSA as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.

“Following the alleged but unknown success of the dry-run of the implementation of MMDA

Resolution 17-400, the Metro Manila Council, still without public consultation and hearing, subsequently issued MMDA 18-005,” Drilon said.

MMDA Regulation 18-005 effectively imposed a driver-only ban, which the MMDA started implementing yesterday although no traffic violation receipts were issued against the violators.

“This regulation would discriminate against those who cannot afford to hire a driver. That is the single biggest argument against this. It unduly favors those who have resources to hire drivers,” Drilon said.

The resolution stated that there is no proof to back up the claim of the MMDA that 70 percent of vehicles plying EDSA is “driver-only-driven.”

It also cited the warnings coming from transportation experts such as University of the Philippines Planning and Development Research Foundation’s Primitivo Cal, who said that such piecemeal or band-aid solutions could end up worsening traffic congestion as it could encourage the proliferation of unauthorized for-hire vehicles or colorum.

A transportation research of a fellow from the Institute of Transportation Studies of the University of California-Berkeley was also cited, wherein it was stated that HOV regulation will not eliminate congestion as it is proven that it will not always be more effective than generalpurpose lanes.

Jojo Garcia, general manager of the MMDA, said that they will follow what the law will dictate after the resolution was filed at the Senate yesterday.

Garcia, however, said their action on whether to recall the new traffic scheme or not would depend on his meeting with their legal counsel.

He said the mayors belonging to the MMC would meet to discuss the Senate resolution seeking to stop the ban on the driver-only vehicles along EDSA.