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SUBIC
BAY FREEPORT—With the opening today of the Clark-Tarlac
segment of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx),
the operator of the 93.77-kilometer tollway has assured
motorists that they can expect “reliable and expert road
assistance,” in addition to faster and efficient travel,
along the four-lane superhighway.
In a
statement sent to the BusinessMirror, the Tollways
Management Corp. (TMC) said it has deployed a full
complement of emergency response teams (ERTs) to assist
travelers along the way.
Charly
Española, TMC division head for the SCTEx, said the ERTs
include patrols and traffic-management teams, emergency
medical services and towing crews, as well as roadside
repair technicians.
He added
that the TMC, which is primarily engaged in the
operation and maintenance of toll roads, interchanges
and related facilities, has taken these measures “to
ensure that travel within the SCTEx is on-time, safe,
secure and comfortable.”
The
state-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA)
has scheduled the opening today of the remaining Clark-Tarlac
segment, which forms the second package of the SCTEx,
now the longest world-class expressway in the country.
The
first package, which is a 50.5-km road segment
connecting the Subic and Clark free ports, opened for
commercial operation on April 28.
The full
operation of the expressway is expected to play a major
role in the economic growth of the Central Luzon trade
corridor, mainly by reducing travel time between
economic zones in Subic, Clark and Tarlac, and
facilitating the movement of goods, services and people.
The
SCTEx has cut travel time from Subic to Clark to just 40
minutes, and from Clark to Tarlac to just 25 minutes.
Similarly, the new toll road, along with the connecting
North Luzon Expressway (Nlex), has now reduced travel
from Subic to Manila to just about 90 minutes instead of
more than two hours.
Española
said the TMC, which also operates and maintains the
84-km Nlex and the 8-km expressway leading to the Subic
Bay Freeport, had positioned its ERTs at toll plazas and
strategic stations along the SCTEx.
Traffic-management teams, which are composed of “fixed
patrollers” and traffic aides, are deployed at toll
plazas in Tipo (Bataan), the Clark Logistics/Nlex spur
road and Tarlac, as well as eight overpasses all over
Package 2.
Emergency medical-service teams, with ambulances and
paramedics from the Aeromed Ambulance Transport Inc.,
are located at the Dinalupihan (Bataan), Dolores
(Pampanga), Clark Logistics/Nlex Spur and Tarlac toll
plazas.
Patrol
assistance, meanwhile, are provided by patrol vehicles,
lane management teams, antispeeding teams and
antioverweigth vehicle program patrol teams manning the
four fixed weighing stations at the toll plazas in
Dinalupihan, Clark North B, and San Miguel and La Paz in
Tarlac.
Then
there are also tow trucks, flatbeds and lifters provided
by the Automobile Association of the Philippines to help
move stalled vehicles, said Española.
TMC,
which is a part of the Lopez Group of Companies and an
affiliate of Egis Road Operation S.A., reportedly the
world’s largest toll road operator, has also urged
motorists to observe road safety and proper vehicle
maintenance.
Benigno
Valles, TMCs community relations manager, told the
BusinessMirror that 107 out of the 190 accidents at Nlex
last month, or 56.32 percent, were due to driver error.
The
other top causes are blown tire, 7.89 percent;
insufficient braking distance, 6.84 percent; and brake
malfunction, also 6.84 percent.
At the
SCTEx, meanwhile, Valles said that the May-June accident
reports indicated mechanical or engine problem as the
leading cause of accidents, with 62 percent of the total
cases. Tire problems came next at 24 percent. |
