Huli ka!

Saw this sign on EDSA last night.
We actually have mixed feelings about this. AUVs should be allowed to use the yellow lanes. Promoting the use of mass public transportation should be a priority and if letting AUVs use the yellow lanes makes the commuting public get to where they're going faster, then it should be allowed. As for cabs, they typically only carry one person (or group), and contributes to the traffic situation as if that person (or group) brought their own vehicle. So, for taxis, we agree with banning them from the yellow lanes.

The MMDA has announced that armored cars, who are among the most frequent violators of traffic rules, are not exempt from the ban on using the yellow lanes and has ordered the agency's traffic enforcers to go after them should they be caught violating this rule. Drivers of armored cars usually use security as an excuse, citing that they are carrying large amounts of cash and are prone to being ambushed. But MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando advises that they should just beef up on security escorts to protect themselves.

Hah! Armored cars are just as bad as those plain clothed escorts that politicians use, driving like assholes and often leaving the "scene of the crime" should they figure into an accident. But enforcers might be hesitant in apprehending these vehicles as they might just end up looking at the barrel of a gun poking out of those gun ports. Barilan na!

The MMDA has announced that the taxis, jeepneys and other forms of PUVs, except for Metro Manila buses, may be banned from using the yellow lanes on EDSA. The move will, according to MMDA Traffic Operations Center Executive Director Angelito Vergel de Dios, ensure an uninterrupted flow of buses on the outer lanes of EDSA, and is being done in preparation for the implementation of the Organized Bus Route system. Read more about it here.

First, the yellow lanes are not the ones that are clogged with vehicles, buses or otherwise. Second, when will metro buses be banned from using the non-yellow lanes? These buses are the ones that contribute to the traffic situation, especially in and around the loading stations.

Surprise, surprise! Seems like there's actually a 40kph speed limit on EDSA, which was established by Republic Act No. 4136.

But the MMDA is not enforcing this since the limit set by the law, which was first enacted on June 20, 1964, is not applicable in this day and age. According to MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, there are so many cars that it is practically impossible for cars to reach this speed. MMDA General Manager Robert Nacianceno, on the other hand, is of the opinion that automotive safety technology has advanced enough to make this limit inapplicable. Read more about it here.

Well, we think that it's about time that the government review and revise this particular law. A 60 or even 80kph speed limit would be more applicable to major thoroughfares like EDSA. However, we feel that a separate speed limit should be applied to the yellow lanes, since driving fast on these lanes would present the most danger to pedestrians and property. In this case, a 40kph limit would probably be best.

P.S. Chairman BF's opinion is kinda short-sighted. While it is true that EDSA is congested for most of the day, it is still possible to drive way beyond the 40kph limit during certain periods of the day and most definitely on weekends. So having the right speed limit, and enforcing it, would still be appropriate.

Since the end of June, the MMDA has been intesifying their drive against yellow lane violators, resulting in approximately 2,000 apprehensions. In a press release today, Bayani Fernando, MMDA Chairman, has called on drivers of private vehicles to follow the rules or risk apprehension. Read the full article from the Inquirer here.

Chairman naman! Kahit naman sino'ng eng-eng ay nakikita na ang trapik sa EDSA ay nagmamaligid sa mga istasyon ng bus. Bago mo tirahin ang mga drayber ng pang pribadong sasakyan, disiplinahin mo kaya muna yung mga drayber ng mga pang-publikong bus kasi mas malala ang epekto ng kanilang pagka-barumbadong pagmamaneho sa trapiko. Palibhasa kasi mas mahirap gatungan ang mga bus drayber at kundoktor kaya mas gusto nila manghuli ng mga pribado.

Sunday morning and these buses were weaving in and out of the yellow lane on EDSA northbound.
Except for that one comment on an old post, we have never heard of any buses being apprehended because they were outside their designated lanes. Again, I recall Bayani Fernando stating that they should stay within the yellow lanes in a previous interview on Breakfast at Studio 23 a long time ago. Totoo ba talaga 'yon sinasabi n'ya?

When will the buses be penalized for going outside the yellow lanes?

One the major causes of traffic on EDSA is the tendency of buses to overshoot the yellow lanes when overtaking each other or avoiding other buses stopped to load and unload passengers.
There are also a lot of buses who use the regular lanes even when there are no other vehicles on the yellow lanes?
Why do they do this? I have no idea.

This bus, with plate no. TWH 591, was seen on EDSA beside Robinson's Pioneer this Sunday morning at around 10:01am.
Again, despite the absence of any vehicle on the yellow lane, this guy was staying on the regular lanes, even before crossing the Guadalupe bridge. I know there are signs along EDSA that say Yellow plates on yellow lanes only or something like that.

Here's another post on buses and yellow lanes. These two were seen racing northbound on EDSA last Saturday morning, even though there were hardly any vehicles on the yellow lanes.
Yeesh!