Amid the rise of road mishaps involving motorcycles, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Acting Chairman Carlo Dimayuga III bared a new plan to install exclusive motorcycle lanes in select Metro Manila streets.
Dimayuga said that the motorcycle lanes will first be installed along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City following the clamor of motorcycle groups to put up motorcycle lanes along Edsa, as well as Commonwealth Avenue, starting next month, if the Metro Manila Council, the governing and policy-making body of the MMDA, would approve the proposal.
During the Motorcycle Consultation Workshop on Wednesday, Dimayuga noted the high volume of registered vehicles in the National Capital Region (NCR).
He said there are 2.9 million vehicles registered in NCR or 24.4 percent of the 11.8 million vehicles registered in the country.
Of these 2.9 million, 1.4 million are motorcycles, Dimayuga said.
The MMDA chief also disclosed that the number of vehicles on Metro roads have already surpassed the pre-pandemic level.
“We notice na bumabalik na tayo sa pre-pandemic situation dahil sa pagluluwag at pagtanggal ng ibang restriction at pagtaas ng bilang na sasakyan na nagpaparehistro na nagdudulot ng traffic congestion,” Dimayuga said.
Data provided by MMDA showed the daily average number of vehicles plying Edsa has now reached 410,000.
The figure is 5,000 higher than the vehicle count before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The agency said almost 50 percent of these vehicles are privately owned, while 38 percent are motorcycles. Another 4.5 percent are taxicabs.
The vehicle volume along Edsa has steadily increased from January this year with 302,309 to 371,882 by February, 377,591 by March, 400,776 by April, 403,774 by May and 408,105 by June.
The number dipped slightly to 400,829 and 387,003 in July and August.
Last year, the MMDA recorded daily average traffic along Edsa at 372,271 vehicles, of which, 141,564 are motorcycles.
Dimayuga also cited the simultaneous implementation of major infrastructure projects, road constructions, road rehabilitation projects, lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the expansion of face-to-face classes in schools as reasons for the increase in vehicles traversing Edsa.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza