MMDA urged to rid EDSA of colorum buses first

MANILA — Instead of implementing old number coding schemes to ease traffic in Metro Manila, a senator said the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) should prioritize removing colorum buses along EDSA.

“…Ang panawagan ko sa MMDA, pwede bang una nilang gawin, tanggalin lahat ng kolorum na bus sa EDSA na hanggang ngayon ay namamayagpag at tumatakbo pa rin (My appeal to the MMDA is, can they first remove all colorum buses along EDSA?),” Sen. Francis Escudero said in a recent press conference.

Escudero pointed out that the MMDA should investigate whether these colorum buses were being operated by former officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) as it continued to be tolerated.

“Iyun pala ang nagpapasikip talaga karamihan kolorum. So simulan natin sa pagtanggal ng kolorum. Dati na namang bawal iyan. Dati nang iligal. At dati nang may kumikita diyan. Alisin natin iyun dahil hindi pa nagagawa iyun (Colorum buses make the roads more congested. So let’s start by removing them. It has long been illegal and they have long been earning from this. Let’s do this because it hasn’t been done before),” he added.

He made this call after MMDA chairman Danilo Lim announced in a recent House hearing that a two-day number coding scheme might help improve traffic flow.

Sen. Grace Poe earlier said that the proposal needed to be reviewed and should undergo consultation.

Escudero, like Poe, expressed hope that the new MMDA chairman would take a more “innovative” approach to solving the crisis instead of implementing schemes that have been done and have failed in the past.

“…Umaasa ako sa bagong MMDA chairman natin na mas magiging innovative at hindi iyung binabago lamang iyung mga dating sinubukan na (I am hopeful that the new MMDA chairman would be more innovative and not just change schemes that were done in the past),” the senator said.

He said that a two-day number coding was implemented in Makati in the past and was not successful.

“Itong number coding lahat na yata ng variation at porma nagawa na iyun hindi pa rin umubra eh. Tingnan naman natin iyung mga ibang bagay na hindi pa nagagawa (Many variations of number coding have been implemented but none have worked. Let’s try other schemes that haven’t been done yet),” he added.