DOTr sees better traffic on Edsa with exit of bus terminals

INQUIRER file photo. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE 

Traffic flow on Edsa is expected to improve with the transfer starting next month of all provincial bus terminals from the busy thoroughfare to the integrated transport terminal in Marikina City.

The move is expected to affect at least 1,000 provincial buses although the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has yet to set a timetable for the transfer.

At the moment, four bus companies are already using the transport hub as a parking area while its accreditation is still pending with the DOTr.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, however, promised on Monday to fast-track the approval of the integrated terminal’s accreditation, saying his department was always supportive of initiatives that seek to improve connectivity and the country’s transport systems.

He added that a point-to-point bus service would also be set up in the transport hub to service more commuters.

Tim Orbos, DOTr undersecretary for road transport, said the opening of the Metro Manila Eastern Multimodal Transport Terminal would not only decongest Edsa but also make commuting more convenient for those living in the eastern part of the metropolis.

“We expect the buses that are not compliant [with] the nose in, nose out [policy] and those at the Araneta [bus] terminal that ply Edsa [to] be transferred here. [That] means there would be no more provincial buses along Edsa,” Orbos told reporters during a visit to the integrated transport hub on Monday.

From Marikina City, the provincial buses can pass through C5 Road, Katipunan and Mindanao Avenues or Marcos Highway to get to their destinations.

Asked if the move would further aggravate the traffic situation on these equally busy thoroughfares, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Danilo Lim said the agency would continue to implement his “back to basics” approach, referring to the strict enforcement of traffic regulations.

Marikina Rep. Bayani Fernando said the transport hub managed by Bright Future Realty Corp. was not only convenient but also accessible to commuters as it is located on Marcos Highway and near the Santolan station of Light Rail Transit Line 2.

He suggested that the MMDA could build the Marikina station of the Pasig River ferry system on the four-hectare site.

Given that Marikina was one of the worst-hit cities during the onslaught of Typhoon “Ondoy” in 2009, Fernando said the terminal had an “escape route” for the buses to be housed there in case of floods. – Jovic Yee