MANILA — Operating hours in malls located on major roads in Metro Manila will start at 11 a.m., an hour late than the usual 10 a.m. opening time, during weekdays from November 5 to January 14 next year, an official of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Monday.
MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia said delaying by an hour the opening of malls will ease the traffic situation in Metro Manila as they contribute to congestion during the holidays.
“Traffic is already bad and we expect it to get worse as the number of vehicles increases,” Garcia said during the meeting with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), mall operators, water utilities, and telecommunication companies to implement measures that will mitigate the expected traffic congestion for the holiday season.
The closing times of the malls will be left to the discretion of their operators.
There are at least 15 shopping malls located on EDSA.
A moratorium on road works, except on government flagship projects and/or during emergency cases, will also be implemented to lessen the impact of ongoing infrastructure projects to the Metro Manila traffic during the holiday season.
The moratorium covers any diggings in the road right-of-way, including passageways and sidewalks within the cities or municipalities of Metro Manila; installation or repairs of water pipes, telephone or telegraph wires or cable conduits, sewers and drainage systems as well as communication and power line improvements being undertaken by any government agency, public and private contractors.
Other measures that will be enforced include nighttime delivery of non-perishable goods from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., no weekday sale policy, deployment of additional security personnel to manage the long lines of vehicles in mall parking areas and removal of obstructions on loading and unloading stations within the vicinity of shopping malls. (/PNA)
