MANILA -- The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will not suspend the number coding scheme in Metro Manila on Nov. 13-15, which were declared as special nonworking holidays due to the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.
The agency’s decision aims to further ease traffic congestion in the metropolis during the summit, said MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago.
Motorists are also reminded to avoid passing through the Epifanio de los Santos Ave. (EDSA) during the event, as its two innermost lanes will be designated as ASEAN lanes for heads of state and other delegates who will be travelling from Clark International Airport in Pampanga to the summit venues in Manila and Pasay.
Orange barriers will be installed along the entire stretch of the thoroughfare from Balintawak to Magallanes to delineate the ASEAN lanes on November 11-15.
A ”stop and go” traffic scheme will also be implemented wherein the entire stretch of EDSA will be closed for 5 to 20 minutes to give way to the convoys of delegates participating in the summit.
The southbound ASEAN lane will be closed to traffic on Nov. 11-13, while the northbound ASEAN lane will be closed on November 13-15.
A lockdown will be implemented in the following areas: partial lockdown of the CCP Complex in Pasay City on Nov. 8 from 12:01 a.m. onwards; SMX-MAAX Block in Pasay City on Nov. 11 from 10 p.m. onwards; complete lockdown of CCP Complex on Nov. 12 from 12:01 a.m. onwards; and Roxas Blvd. from Padre Burgos Ave. to Buendia on Nov. 13 from 12:01 a.m. onwards.
“We are advising motorists to use alternative routes in order to avoid the traffic congestion during the summit,” Pialago said.
Northbound vehicles coming from Diosdado Macapagal Blvd. and Roxas Blvd. should turn right to Buendia, turn left to Taft Ave. and Padre Burgos Ave. Southbound vehicles from Bonifacio Drive must turn left to P. Burgos, turn right to Taft Ave., turn right to Buendia, and turn left to Roxas Blvd. and Macapagal Blvd. to destination.
A final convoy dry run was conducted early Wednesday from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. along the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at Clark in Pampanga to the roads in the southern part of Metro Manila.
The night-time dry run was conducted to ensure a seamless coordination of traffic management plans for the travel of delegates going to their hotels and venues in Pasay City and to test the new vehicles and equipment that will be used during the actual summit.
MMDA will deploy 3,480 personnel to enforce the implementation of the "stop and go" scheme and to manage traffic in other parts of Metro Manila on Nov. 9 -15 to be reinforced by more than 200 personnel from the Philippine National Police. (PNA)
