MMDA is studying an odd-even coding scheme

For now, 5 to 8 PM coding time is still in effect

Today's sky-high gas prices seem to have little effect on reducing the volume of cars in the Metro. Perhaps that's because many of us still rely mostly on private vehicles for daily transport. But now, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is working out a way to ban vehicles twice a week to address the traffic crisis.

During President Rodrigo Duterte's latest “Talk to the People”, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes presented plans to address Metro Manila traffic, and that includes two possible number coding schemes they believe could reduce traffic volume by as much as 50%.

The first option is an odd-even scheme, banning cars with plates ending in odd numbers (1,3,5,7,9) on Mondays and Thursdays, and even numbers (2,4,6,8,0) on Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesday will be a no coding day, which means all vehicles are allowed to use public roads.

On the other hand, the second option believed to reduce traffic by 40% is a complicated one. The proposal prohibits cars with plates ending in 1,2,3,4 every Monday, 5,6,7,8 every Tuesday, 9,0,1,2 every Wednesday, 3,4,5,6 every Thursday, and 7,8,9,0 every Friday.

The third option, of course, was to stick to the coding scheme being used lately. However, there's an additional 7:00 to 10:00 coding hours in the morning to go along with the 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM coding time.

Artes said these plans are still being studied along with other stakeholders. And as it stands, the usual 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM number coding scheme shall remain in effect until further notice.

What do you think of the number coding schemes proposed by the MMDA? Let us know in the comments.