Fuel prices drive vehicles off EDSA

Have you noticed improved traffic flow along EDSA lately? The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has. It has reported a dramatic decrease in the total number of vehicles from a high of 417,000 on May 5, 2022.

The MMDA conducted a vehicle count on June 9 (Thursday), recording 392,000 vehicles on EDSA. The latest recount on June 19 (Sunday) logged only 390,000. Granted, it was a weekend, but in recent years, traffic was worse on Saturday and Sunday without the restrictions from the Universal Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or the number coding scheme.

"May kabuuan na pong kabawasan na 27,000 from the time na before elections at ang tingin po namin na malaking factor dyan ay ang patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng produktong petrolyo," said MMDA Chairman Romando Artes.

[There was a total deficit of 27,000 from before the elections and we think a big factor here is the continued rise in the prices of fuel]

For now, the agency says that the current form of the UVVRP will remain, and any changes or alterations to it will happen when the next administration takes over.

"Sa ngayon po wala po tayong plano na magpatupad ng expanded number coding scheme dahil nakikita po namin na wala naman pong pangangailangan sa ngayon dahil po patuloy na nababawasan ang bilang ng sasakyan sa ating lansangan," added Artes.

[For now, we don't have any plans to enforce an expanded number coding scheme as it is unnecessary as the number of vehicles in our streets continues to drop]

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