The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) management must fix the “EDSA-like” traffic before imposing any toll hike, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said Tuesday.
The lawmaker made the statement amid Toll Regulatory Board’s (TRB) approval of a provisional increase in NLEX toll where Class 1 vehicles such as car, jeepney, van or pickup, will have to pay an additional P7 in NLEX’s open system effective June 15; P17 for Class 2 vehicles like bus and light trucks; and P19 for Class 3 vehicles like heavy and trailer trucks.
The expressway’s open system covers Balintawak in Caloocan, Mindanao Avenue and Marilao in Bulacan.
In NLEX’s closed system which starts in Marilao to Sta. Ines in Mabalacat City, Pampanga, motorists will have to pay an additional P26 for Class 1, P65 for Class 2, and P11 for Class 3.
“Any increase at this point would be unjustifiable and unfair to the motorists who have to deal with sometimes EDSA-like traffic on the expressway, specifically from Balintawak to Meycauayan,” Pimentel said.
“Bago sila humingi ng dagdag na bayad, ayusin muna nila ang trapik sa NLEX. I call on the management of NLEX to address this perennial traffic buildup on our major expressway,” he added.
According to the Senate minority chief, there were reports that traffic congestion in NLEX has become a “recurring problem that causes delays and inconvenience for motorists.”
Pimentel is also appealing to NLEX and TRB to put on hold the provisional increase in toll rates due to the effects of inflation, saying that implementing a toll hike “at these challenging times would exacerbate their economic hardships.”
“To approve a provisional increase in light of these serious traffic concerns and the worsening inflation in the country is a disservice to the Filipino people,” he said.
“It is time that the government provides some relief to our motorists.”
GMA News Online has sought comments from NLEX Corporation Vice President Jennifer Jane Go and TRP spokesperson Julius Corpuz, but they have yet to respond as of posting time. —Hana Bordey/KBK, GMA Integrated News
