APEC traffic forced commuters to walk

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Due to the closure of several main roads in Metro Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week, commuters were forced to walk several kilometers just to get into their workplaces and escape the killer traffic on a Monday morning.

Commuters who came from Cavite were stuck for more than four hours in heavy traffic, while others decided to walk and leave the PUJs and PUVs along Coastal Road because of road closure of Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

Passengers along Coastal Road this morning are either walking on the highway, requesting the drivers of the PUV to get back in Cavite, others expressed their anger on the traffic brought by APEC summit.

Aside from several hours of heavy traffic, the technical glitch in Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 aggravated the Monday morning rush hour.

Some commuters aired their sentiments on social media, saying that office works should have been suspended for the APEC week as several roads are closed rather than wasting several hours getting stuck on the road.

Only November 18-19 has been declared as non-working days for the private sector, while government workers and students won’t have work and classes from November 17-20.

In a traffic advisory, Cavite Expressway (CavitEx) advised the motorists to take Marina Left Turn (Pacific Drive) as their alternative route for APEC week.

Manila City government bans pedestrians to Roxas Blvd.

Roxas Boulevard will be a no-man land starting today (Monday) until November 20 as the Manila City government announce that aside from motorists, pedestrians will also be banned in the area as part of security measures for the APEC meet.

The head of the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Johnny Yu said motorists and pedestrians are temporarily prohibited from using Roxas Blvd. from Kalaw to Ocampo St. Other activities that are not allowed are swimming and romantic dating. Even joggers will be banned from the area while only APEC accredited personnel in charge of security in their proper identification cards are allowed during the APEC meet.

The declaration of “no-walk zone” in the Baywalk portion of Roxas Blvd. was first time to be closed to pedestrians for a special occasion said Johnny Yu, because the Manila officials imposed a restriction after a recommendation “from the different members of the joint task force overseeing the safety and security component requirements for the Apec events.”

In an official statement by Manila City mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada, he said, ““I am appealing to Manilans and to the public in general to cooperate with national and city authorities who are working to ensure the safety and security of Apec delegates, spouses and coterie of officials.”

He added that Manilans should give way to foreign dignitaries so they and the whole world will appreciate the beauty and splendor of the finest harbor in the Far East.