No more EDSA bus lane soon? The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is considering the removal of the dedicated bus lane on EDSA.

Photo: EDSA Carousel
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes proposed in a press briefing the possibility of removing the bus lane if the MRT-3 capacity increases.
”Well, napag-usapan din po kahapon iyan kasi nagsabi po ang DOTr na currently, they are expanding iyong carrying capacity ng MRT. I think, if I recall it right, additional 30% capacity kasi sa ngayon iyong bagon natin, tatlo lang bawat trip [That was also discussed yesterday because the DOTr said that currently, they are expanding the carrying capacity of the MRT. I think, if I recall it right, there would be an additional 30% capacity because right now we only have three train coaches per trip],” Artes said.
“Magdadagdag po ng isang bagon, so thatโs another 30% additional capacity. Inaayos lang iyong infrastructure to accommodate iyong mas mahabang bagon [They will be adding one more wagon, so thatโs an additional 30% capacity. The infrastructure is just being fixed to accommodate the longer wagon].”
Artes noted other suggestions, including reducing the time between train coach arrivals and departures and accommodating bus carousel passengers on the MRT instead.
“Ang suggestion po kahapon ay kung maa-accommodate din ng MRT iyong mga pasahero po ng bus carousel since repetitive siya eh, same line. In fact, mas inconvenient pa nga ang bus dahil hindi lahat po ng station ng MRT ay may istasyon ng bus. So kung magagawa po iyan, mapi-free up po iyong isang lane [The suggestion yesterday was to see if the MRT could also accommodate the passengers from the bus carousel since it’s repetitive, it follows the same route. In fact, the bus is even more inconvenient because not all MRT stations have bus stops. So, if that can be done, one lane could be freed up],” he added.
The MMDA Chairman also floated the idea of repurposing the bus lane for high-occupancy vehicles carrying three or four passengers, he stated, “May suggestion din po na kung mangyari iyon, baka pwede pong i-consider na wag na siyang alisin pero instead ay ipagamit sa high occupancy vehicles tulad po sa LA na kung tatlo or apat iyong sakay mo, ikaw lang ang pwedeng gumamit ng special lane po na iyan [There’s also a suggestion that if that happens, perhaps it could be considered not to remove the bus lane but instead allow it to be used by high occupancy vehicles like in LA, where if you have three or four passengers, you’re the only one who can use that special lane].
Despite the proposal, Artes reiterated that it was only a suggestion and no definite timeline had been set. He also disclosed that EDSA’s rehabilitation might begin in March.
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