Senator De Lima urges MMDA to reconsider Edsa plans

The senator said the government should stop its “ bad habit” of experimenting on how to ease traffic congestion.

Detained Se. Lelia de Lima asked the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to reconsider its plans of banning vehicles carrying only drivers from Edsa (Epifanio de Los Santos Avenue) during rush hours.

The senator said the government should stop its “ bad habit” of experimenting on how to ease traffic congestion.

She highlighted the fact that the traffic scheme might lead to the mushrooming of “ passengers-for-hire,” or car jockeys.”.

“ Government cannot always try its luck through trial and error in resolving the perennial traffic problem, “ she said.

The senator pointed out a major flaw in the plan being passengers safety, as this could give rise to paid car jockeys who are more than willing to risk their own safety by getting into the cars of strangers to earn money.

Earlier, Metro Manila Council approved the MMDA’s High Occupancy Vehicle( HOV) scheme which aims to ban single passenger vehicles on the major thoroughfare during peak hours.

Under the directive, only vehicles with two or more passengers will be allowed to pass through EDSA.

According to De Lima, chairman of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, the peak-time rule of three people in one car was tested and implemented in Jakarta and Indonesia but proved to be ineffective.

“This instance should remind our government to rethink its plan before fully implementing the HOV because aside from possibly worsening the traffic in Edsa, they might put the safety of the Filipino people, especially those from the poor sectors of society, in great peril,” she said.

De Lima was earlier detained in January on drug charges.