The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and other government agencies are studying the viability of adding a motorcycle lane to alleviate the traffic problem along EDSA.
Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said that based on a study, around 170,000 motorcycles use EDSA daily.
Bautista said the DOTr already has initial discussions with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on having a dedicated lane for motorcycles along the major thoroughfare.
“‘Yung EDSA po natin four lanes lang po yan. ‘Yung isang lane meron na tayong busway. Doon sa right side na portion ‘yung bicycle lane. We are looking siguro po ‘yung katabi ng bicycle lane ang gawin nating motorcycle lane,” Sec. Bautista said.
(EDSA only has four lanes. One lane is occupied by the busway. The right portion has a bicycle lane. We are looking at placing the motorcycle lane beside the bicycle lane.)
“Kasi ngayon makikita n’yo sa EDSA, lahat ng lane kinakain [ng motorcycle]. We’re working with MMDA on how we can improve the traffic situation relating to motorcycles,” he added.
(Right now we can see motorcycles occupying all the lanes on EDSA.)
With a motorcycle lane in EDSA, the government also aims to address the economic cost of traffic, the transport chief added.
Bautista cited a 2012 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), stating that the economic cost of traffic is P2.4 billion a day in Metro Manila.
In 2017, the economic cost reached P3.5 billion a day, while the latest study in 2022 indicated the economic losses from traffic is P4.9 billion a day. JICA projected this to balloon to P9 billion a day in 2030.
“Economic cost (of traffic), ito po yung additional fuel, additional cost, nawawalang (lost) opportunity for growth, lost time natin sa family,” the DOTr head explained.—RF, GMA Integrated News
