NCR mayors commit to fully implement 5-year Metro Manila traffic plan

Metro Manila mayors and other government agencies have agreed to fully implement a comprehensive traffic plan to ease congestion in the National Capital Region (NCR) in anticipation of improved economic activities in the next five years.

Lawyer Romando Artes, acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), said the five-year action plan for traffic decongestion includes completion of the improvement of structures, particularly the signal system, in the 42 traffic bottlenecks that the he Project for Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) for Metro Manila has identified.

The CTMP Project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

"As the country's economic and business center, there were vast economic opportunities that would draw more and more visitors, and this has led to an increase in traffic congestion," said Artes.

"As the project ends, the next step is to implement the plan. Continuous coordination, role-sharing, funding, monitoring, and evaluation—these are critical matters that must be addressed. The strategies that should be implemented need to start immediately," he added.

Artes said the CTMP also includes enhancing the intelligent transportation system (ITS); strengthening traffic regulations, enforcement, and road safety; promoting active transportation; and development of a comprehensive traffic management database.

He added that the action plan also recommends formulating comprehensive traffic management plans by LGUs (local government units), strengthening the transportation network in Metro Manila, as well as strengthening MMDA's planning capacities in traffic management and its coordination with and among related organizations.

For his part, JICA Philippines’s chief representative Takema Sakamoto expressed their commitment to support the Philippine government’s efforts in addressing traffic congestion by offering to share Japan’s experiences in traffic management, particularly in ITS, and in private-public partnerships.

"No one can resolve the chronic traffic jam in Metro Manila alone, but if we all work together, we are optimistic that there is hope for improving the traffic situation. If we strongly bond together, we can achieve continuous economic growth and attain the quality of life for every Filipino," Sakamoto said.