Car coding scheme for weekends too?

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is considering whether to extend to weekends the unified vehicular volume reduction program or the plate number coding scheme.

MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando yesterday said public consultation on this would be scheduled within the next few months.

If ever, the extension will be implemented sometime in the next three months, he added.

He noted that traffic volume on Saturdays and Sundays were now comparable to regular days.

"This condition led us to consider implementing the UVVRP for weekends," he said.

The present coding scheme requires vehicles to be kept off the streets once a week -- Mondays to Fridays -- based on their plate number endings. The scheme does not apply on Saturdays and Sundays. Neither is it followed in Makati City nor San Juan, whose local governments have disagreements with Mr. Fernando.

In the proposed modification, Mr. Fernando said all plate numbers would be divided into four groups -- with each group given only one particular weekend in a month to make use of Metro Manila streets.

He urged the public to participate in soon-to-be-announced public hearings, for MMDA to hear all concerns.

A coding scheme for buses on EDSA might soon be implemented as well, Mr. Fernando said.

He said bus operators have agreed to take 20% of their buses off the streets daily to lessen the volume of traffic.

Remaining buses will be issued tags by MMDA to serve as passes as they make trips along EDSA.

Meanwhile, MMDA also plans to install "elevated u-turns" in some main streets, Mr. Fernando said.

The first one, to be worth an estimated P200 million, will be installed along C-5 road -- in place of a traffic tunnel at the intersection of C-5 and Kalayaan Avenue that can cost P500 million.

Mr. Fernando said elevated u-turns would be installed all over Metro Manila to ease congestions in crossings.

The new structures will be a priority project in solving traffic problems in Metro Manila, he added.

MMDA will also install 60 more pedestrian overpasses along EDSA. -- Ruelle Albert D. Castro