Senate probe on EDSA traffic, provincial bus ban starts today

PHOTO / INQUIRER.NET

THE Senate inquiry over the worsening traffic congestion on EDSA and the plan to prohibit provincial buses from passing through Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare starts today.

Senator Grace Poe last week summoned government transport officials and representatives from other concerned sectors to a public hearing starting at 10 a.m. today at the Senate. Poe is chairman of the Senate committee on public services.

In a statement she said “transport officials should explain the traffic that has choked EDSA and brought untold misery to the public, despite the test run of the EDSA provincial bus ban.”

The provincial bus ban on EDSA is being pushed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

The legislative panel will tackle Senate Resolution No. 954 seeking an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the proposed provincial bus ban on EDSA.

Poe said traffic schemes and policies should consider both vehicles and commuters.

The gridlock last week was reportedly caused by the stricter implementation of the yellow lane policy for city buses and the dry run for the provincial bus ban on EDSA.

Poe said the proposed ban on provincial buses should be thoroughly scrutinized, especially amid the public clamor to suspend it and the legal questions raised by some groups before the courts.

“We will thresh out all these issues in a productive dialogue where all stakeholders will have a voice and will be part of the solution,” she said.