Errr... do they seriously expect this to improve traffic?

MMDA inaugurates portable rotunda - InterAksyon.com

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Thursday inaugurated the first portable rotunda at Edsa-Ayala in Makati City on Thursday, hoping to curb the incidence of deadly road crashes by “removing the incentive for drivers to speed up” as they approach signal lights.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said eight more portable rotundas, meant to reduce accidents where these normally occur, will be constructed and deployed soon.

“Installing roundabouts in place of traffic signals reduce the likelihood of rear-end crashes and their severity by removing the incentive for drivers to speed up as they approach green lights and by reducing abrupt stops at red lights,” Tolentino said. This, as the MMDA’s Planning Office is currently studying where permanent rotundas will be constructed.

He said they are also coordinating with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for the design of the permanent rotunda.

The roundabouts follow the concept of U-turn slots, which entail the removal of traffic signal lights in intersections to make the traffic free-flowing.

Earlier, Tolentino said the introduction of the portable rotunda is the agency’s way of inculcating in the public the need for responsible behavior in Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfares and intersections.

“We have very few existing rotundas nowadays because of the emergence of modern signalized intersections. We hope that by this portable rotunda, we can bring back to the mind of the people that rotundas are the simplest but [also] one of the best ways to reduce accidents,” the MMDA chief added.

Mostly made up of wood, the makeshift rotunda is designed to be unfastened, transported, and reassembled in various intersections of Metro Manila.