By Aerol John Pateña | Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The number coding scheme will be suspended from April 17 to 22 amid the expected passenger influx for the Holy Week break.
“The suspension of the number coding is to ensure that there is enough public utility vehicles to serve commuters heading to their respective provinces and allow motorists to use their vehicles going to their destinations up to their return to Metro Manila after the Lenten break,” the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said in a statement on Monday.
More than 1,600 traffic personnel will be deployed from April 17 to 22 on major thoroughfares, transport terminals and other key areas in Metro Manila to manage traffic flow.
A “no day off and no absent policy” will be enforced among the MMDA’s traffic enforcers as part of its “Oplan Metro Alalay Semana Santa”
Traffic personnel will be fielded in various areas in the metropolis such as the vicinity of bus terminals, roads leading to seaports, harbors, and airports, and major churches.
Clearing operations on the sidewalks within the vicinity of major churches in the metropolis will also be conducted.
MMDA traffic chief Edison Nebrija projected that traffic volume would increase along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) this week due to the deployment of buses transporting passengers affected by the maintenance shutdown of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3).
“Expect volume along Edsa. This bus augmentation program will cause delays,” Nebrija said in a radio interview.
“We are expecting an increase in traffic volume from Monday to Wednesday,” he added.
The Department of Transportation has deployed 140 buses which will be operating along the MRT-3 line from North Avenue to Taft Avenue and vice versa from April 15 to 17 and April 20 to 21. The operations of the MRT will be closed from April 15 to 21 for maintenance works.
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