EDSA traffic hits holiday peak with 434K vehicles – MMDA
Published Dec 12, 2025 01:34 pm
Motorists experienced light to moderate traffic along Marcos Highway on December 10, 2025. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) Anti-Truck Overloading Mobile Enforcement (ATOME) suspended its operations along Marcos Highway from December 10, 2025 to January 6, 2026 to help ease holiday traffic. (John Louie Abrina / MANILA BULLETIN)
The number of vehicles on EDSA reached record levels this week as the holiday season and year-end bonuses drive more Filipinos to shop, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reported on Friday, Dec. 12.
MMDA Chairman Romando “Don” Artes said traffic counts recorded 434,000 vehicles this December, a sharp increase from less than 400,000 in November.
“In November, the number was lower with less than 400,000 vehicles passing through EDSA. Two Mondays ago, since it was a holiday last Monday (December 8), we counted again and it reached 434,000 which is somewhat record-breaking for us. This year, this is the highest number we have recorded,” he said in a radio interview with DZRH.
The agency expects the volume to grow another five to 10 percent over the next week, coinciding with the payday weekend.
“We expect another five to ten percent increase within the week until next week. Especially this weekend, many of our fellow citizens will surely go shopping since bonuses and 13th-month pay are being released so we really expect the volume of vehicles to increase not just on EDSA but throughout Metro Manila,” Artes said.
However, the MMDA noted that the EDSA Bus Carousel has helped ease congestion for commuters.
“These buses carry more than 50 passengers each. Imagine how uninterrupted the ride is, and most of the commuters are ordinary workers,” he shared.
He said that many motorists are now shifting to public transport although demand still exceeds capacity at some points, particularly in Metro Rail Transit (MRT) stations.
He emphasized that while infrastructure projects like MRT-7 and north-south rail connections are underway, the current road network is already under strain.
“The problem is that the number of vehicles in Metro Manila keeps increasing. Imagine, two years ago, the daily average was 3.2 million vehicles. Now, around 3.6 million are crowding our narrow roads,” Artes said.
The MMDA chief said that despite the high volume, EDSA traffic continues to move except for certain choke points where accidents, caused by several factors such as lane-shifting, usually occur and result in delay.
In fact, the MMDA recorded 43 incidents within a five-hour span last Friday, Dec. 5, and these occurred during the peak traffic hours of 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“We appeal to motorists to maintain discipline, stay in their lanes, and avoid unnecessary weaving,” he said.
Mall sale
The MMDA has also continued its annual appeal to mall operators to avoid mall-wide sales that exacerbate traffic congestion.
“We have been doing this every year for the past five years where we ask malls not to hold mall-wide sales if possible because our studies show that when there is a mall-wide sale, it really causes traffic flow to slow down,” Artes said.
He clarified that store-level promotions are still allowed but large-scale mall sales remain discouraged due to their impact on road flow.
To clarify, we are not prohibiting sales per se at the store level so you will still see discounts in individual shops. We are not depriving our fellow citizens of the chance to buy what they need at lower prices,” he shared.
“What we are saying, and the malls agree, is that mall-wide sales really cause heavy traffic congestion which doesn’t help the malls either because when there is traffic during a sale, shoppers cannot easily reach the stores or malls. This has been agreed upon and practiced for the last five years,” he noted.
“What I’m saying is that our new request is for malls outside our jurisdiction like those along Marcos Highway, there are malls there but not in NCR,” he added.
Outside the NCR, Artes said the agency has also coordinated with the local government units (LGUs) of Antipolo and Cainta to adjust U-turn slots and improve lane transitions to ensure smoother traffic flow in areas affected by spillover congestion.
A memorandum of agreement with the said LGUs is expected soon, according to Artes.
“We will soon have a memorandum of agreement to allow us, in case of heavy traffic, to enter their jurisdiction and assist in traffic management so that everyone is coordinated,” he said.