Commonwealth Avenue fronting U.P. Diliman: A Killer Highway with a Killer u-turn slot

MANILA, Philippines - Ten persons were injured in a collision involving a jeepney and a van yesterday morning along Commonwealth Avenue, at the same spot where journalist Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan was killed in another accident two weeks ago."

"Traffic investigator Allan Paul Florendo said the collision happened at around 5:20 a.m. at the U-turn slot just in front of Gate 3 of the UP Ayala Techno Hub in Quezon City."

Read the rest here. 

The Philippine STAR article illustrates that the Gate 3 U-turn slot has become a death trap -not just for the late U.P. Diliman College of Mass Communication Professor Lourdes “Chit” Estella-Simbulan but for others as well. Two days ago, another vehicular accident on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City involving a jeepney and a van in front of UP Ayala Techno Hub left 10 persons injured. In fact, along the entire stretch of Commonwealth Avenue, dozens of accidents occur everyday, as cars race down it at breakneck speed.

The Diliman Diary has driven down the stretch of University Avenue, and also taken the Philcoa-bound jeepney (from U.P. Diliman) plying the same route to make a hazardous right turn along Commonwealth Avenue, braving oncoming traffic hurtling down at breakneck speeds and make a perilous left turn to reach the U-turn slot. Out of sheer necessity, another hair-raising drive down Commonwealth Avenue at what amounts to an acute right angle is needed in order to reach the proximity of Gate 3 of  UP Ayala Techno Hub which converges with the general area where speeding buses approach their docking stations in order to pick up passengers. It is really a recipe for disaster.

A U.P. Diliman undergraduate research study entitled, "Analysis of Accidents in U-Turn Slots" was made in 2006 by two B.S. Civil Engineering students Gil Alexander M. Dela Vega and Ramon S. Magno, Jr. who were advised by Dr. Ricardo G. Sigua of the U.P. Diliman College of Engineering. The study has been uploaded on the National Center for Transportation Studies website.

The study found out that the top ten critical U-turn slots according to frequency of accidents were: Katipunan Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue (fronting St. Peter Church), Commonwealth Avenue (fronting Paskong Pasiklab), EDSA, Commonwealth Avenue (fronting COA), Mindanao Avenue (Road 20), Quezon Avenue (U-trun slot # 6), IBP Road, Commonwealth Avenue (fronting Metro KTV) and E. Rodriguez Avenue (fronting BMW). Of the top ten, three were along Commonwealth Avenue, the study found.

Compared to other cities, the study found that Quezon City has relatively higher percentages of accidents compared to other cities because of the relatively higher number of U-turn slots operational in Quezon City. However, it is also true that Quezon City has the largest number of accidents that occurred in all junction types, making the ratio of U-turn slot accidents relatively smaller.

The Diliman Diary attempted to contact the study's authors for further comments, but they did not respond in time for the publication of this dispatch.

The study assumes that the majority of injuries occuring in U-turn slots are primarily serious. The study estimates that PhP 7.5 billion a year is lost throughout Metro Manila due to opportunity losses, damage to property, loss of life, injuries, loss of resources, etecetra.

The study also pointed out that the U-turn slot at Katipunan Avenue fronting Ateneo de Manila University is accessed by motorists in the south bound lane going to Balara. In this case, cars are often involved in accidents, and "this can be attributed to the location of three major schools, the Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College, and the University of the Philippines Diliman, which stand as large communities. Also, this may be credited to the limited volume of public utility vehicles (PUVs) passing through the road section."

The study found that angle impact represent the most common types of accidents, for the obvious reason that U-turns follow curved paths, "entailing a rather random positioning of impact between two vehicles, or as expected from following a road curvature."

The researchers concluded, in part, that traffic safety was not given any attention before the implementation of the U-turn project by the Metro Manila Development Authority. "The MMDA did not do any detailed traffic engineering study before implementing such risky project," the study said.

The study also concluded that accidents occurred in 76% of the total number of U-turn slots in Metro Manila and also says that driver behavior patterns are critical elements in accidents. The study said that further studies are needed in order to establish driver behavior patterns in the realm of U-turn slots along major roads.

Today's EDSA 25 Traffic Rerouting Plan

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Source: Metro Manila Development Authority

MMDA assigns lanes along Commonwealth Avenue

QUEZON CITY, Jan 24 (PIA) – Tagged as the “killer highway” due to the alarming number of motor mishaps credited to its name, Commonwealth Avenue will have separate lanes for buses, jeepneys, and motorcycles beginning Tuesday to mitigate road accidents and ensure safety among motorists.

Starting 4:30 a.m. today, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will assign the yellow lanes to public utility buses (PUBs), the second lane next to the bus lane to motorcycles and public utility jeepneys, and the remaining five lanes to private vehicles with two lanes reserved for U-turn slots.

The lane assignments will be initially implemented from Batasan to Philcoa and vice versa.

MMDA enforcers will also be armed with speed tracking guns to make sure motorists observe the 60-kilometer per hour speed limit along the highway. Violators will be fined PhP 1,200.

Commonwealth Avenue, according to the MMDA, has a total of 18 lanes with nine lanes going from Fairview, Quezon City to the Quezon Memorial Circle, and nine lanes going the opposite direction. (PIA-NCR/Jayson P. Leguiab)

2010 Metro Manila Film Festival Indie Films

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The Metro Manila Film Festival Executive Committee's current officers are:

MMDA Secretary Francis N. Tolentino	Chairman
Hon. Herbert Bautista	Co-Chairman for LGUs
Mr. Jesse Ejercito	Executive Vice-Chairman
Mr. Mark Meily	Vice-Chairman
Atty. Emmanuel de Castro	Executive Director
Members:
AGM. Edenison Fainsan	Chairman, Finance/Budget Committee
GM. Robert C. Nacianceno	MMDA, Member
Gen. Danilo Gaoiran	Chairman, Security Committee
Mr. Wilson Tieng	Movie Producers Distributors Association of the Philippines (MPDAP)
Mr. Dominic Du	Greater Manila Theaters Association (GMTA)
Ms. Boots Anson Roa	Movie Workers Welfare Fund (MOWELFUND)
Mr. Manuel Nuqui	Philippine Motion Pictures Producers Association of the Philippines (PMPPA)
Mr. Roesholm Camaligan	Motion Picture Anti-Film Piracy Council
Ms. Consoliza Laguardia	Movie Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB)
Mr. Marcus Ng	Metro Manila Theaters Association
Mr. Leo Martinez	Film Academy of the Philippines

The Executive Committee is in the process of revising its rules to accommodate one independent film as part of the festival, and appointing a Board of Jurors representing a wider spectrum of society.

(Source: http://www.mmda.gov.ph/MMFF.html)

Revised Metro Manila Number Coding Rules as of Nov. 17, 2010

The Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or Number Coding Scheme starts at 7:00 am - 7:00 pm with window hours starting from 10:00 am - 3:00 in the afternoon.

The Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or Number Coding Scheme starts at 7:00 am - 7:00 pm with window hours starting from 10:00 am - 3:00 in the afternoon.

The cities of Makati and Las Piñas do not implement window hours. Thus, number coding is strictly implemented from 7:00 am - 7:00 pm.

The city of Pasig implements its window hour from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

However, the cities of Parañaque, Marikina, Taguig, and Muntinlupa do not implement the Number Coding Scheme.

In addition, the following areas in Pasay do not implement the Number Coding Scheme: Ninoy Aquino Ave., MIA Road, Domestic Road, Airport Road, Sales Road, and portions of Buendia.

EDSA, C-5 Road, Diosdado Macapagal Avenue, and Roxas Boulevard are included in the implementation of Window Hours regardless of the city where they belong.

All Public Utility Buses (City and Provincial) are now covered under the Number Coding Scheme, with no "Window Hours". Motorcycles, on the other hand are exempted from the scheme.

All UVVRP exemptions and truck ban conduct passes granted in accordance with MMDA Regulation No. 96-005, as amended, MMDA Regulation 98-006-A, and MMDA Regulation 10-001 shall not include authority to use the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA).

(Source: http://www.mmda.gov.ph/faq.html)

MMDA identifies 2 bus companies that spearheaded Monday's transport strike

MANILA, Nov. 16 (PNA) -- Even as bus operators denied they staged a strike on Monday that inconvenienced thousands of commuters in the metropolis, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has identified two bus companies that spearheaded the transport strike to protest the implementation of the , San Juan, Quezon City (UVVRP) or “number-coding” scheme.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said based on reports from their personnel and field monitoring, Manrose and Jell Transit led the strike in which close to 8,500 commuters were stranded in various parts of Metro Manila and the suspension of afternoon and evening classes in Quezon City and San Juan.

“Based on our monitor, Monrose and Jell Transit led the transport strike,” Tolentino said, adding that the MMDA will forward the names of the operators to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for further investigations.

LTFRB Chairman Nelson Laluces said they will issue notices to the bus operators who participated in Monday’s strike prior to the holding of a public hearing to determine whether sanctions ranging from suspension to cancellation of their franchises will be applied.

Laluces said due process will be given to the bus operators. Earlier, the LTFRB said about 100 bus operators out of the 140 joined the strike.

But the Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association (IMBOA), through their president Claire De La Fuente, has denied Monday’s shortage of passenger buses in Metro Manila was a strike, adding that what happened was a miscommunication between operators and drivers who thought there was indeed a strike.

The group announced last Friday they would hold a strike to protest the number-coding scheme.

The MMDA said there is a pressing need for such a program, citing a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which found out that the current number of buses plying EDSA is beyond its carrying capacity.

The JICA study said EDSA has a carrying capacity of 1, 600 buses on a daily basis. At present, the MMDA said about 3,800 buses are using the thoroughfare daily.

According to the MMDA, about 13,000 provincial and city buses are expected to be covered by the scheme. More than 1,000 of these vehicles will be affected by the UVVRP scheme daily.

PUBs were originally covered by UVVRP but bus operators sought and secured an exemption from Malacañang in 2004.

The number coding for buses will be enforced from 7 am until 7 pm. But unlike in the case of private vehicles and other PUVs, there will be no window hours of 10 am-3pm for PUBs.

MMDA suspends number-coding scheme starting Tuesday, March 30, 2010

MANILA, March 29 (PNA) --- Metropolitan Manila Development Authority on Monday suspended the enforcement of the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) effective Tuesday.

“The suspension of the UVVRP is our way of ensuring the convenience of the public. This way, they can travel without any delay, and there will be enough public utility vehicles to ferry passengers all day long,” MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes said.

The early lifting of the number coding scheme is to give way to the expected high volume of vehicles, both public utility and private, to the provinces as the country celebrates the Lenten season.

The agency is also taking part in the yearly Lakbay Alalay under the Oplan Semana Santa spearheaded by the Department of Transportation and Communications.

The MMDA Traffic and Transport Management Office (TTMO) will deploy more than 1,000 traffic enforcers to man the major thoroughfares, particularly Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) and the other exit points of Metro Manila.

Inocentes said that majority of the traffic personnel would be assigned to the roads leading to provincial bus terminals and other vital installations to guarantee the safety of thousands of commuters and even pedestrians.

The operations of the TTMO, in close coordination with the local government units, will concentrate on crucial areas and traffic choke points such as Balintawak, McArthur Highway, Ortigas Avenue Extension, Sumulong Highway, Marcos Highway, Coastal Road, Roxas Boulevard, Alabang, Pasay, and Cubao.

Inocentes said that the “nose in nose out” policy on bus terminals will be in effect, thereby prohibiting bus drivers to maneuver their vehicles along Edsa. Also, they are not allowed to load and unload outside their respective terminals.

“I have ordered our enforcers to strictly enforce the rules so that there will be a smooth flow of traffic,” Inocentes said.

The agency’s Roadside Emergency Group will also be on standby to provide roadside emergency service and assistance to the public.

He also appealed to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) management to deploy additional personnel to collect toll fees during rush hours to avoid traffic congestion.

Inocentes also urged the public to cooperate and support the traffic enforcers and other authorities in order to guarantee a safe, peaceful, and meaningful Lent.(PNA) RMA/CLTC