MMDA: EDSA Road Reblocking, Weekend Mall Sales Suspended for Holiday Season

Are you preparing yourself for the imminent holiday traffic? If so, then you might be glad about this announcement from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

The agency recently held a meeting with the Department of Public Works and Highways, shopping mall operators, and water utility and telecommunication companies in order to mitigate the raffic congestion that will inevitably accompany the upcoming Christmas rush.

Following the said meeting, the MMDA announced that it will be implementing its new plans beginning November 11 until January 10 of next year. “Traffic is already bad and we expect it to get worse as the number of vehicles increases daily,” said MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia.

The guidelines include the temporary suspension of any road reblockings along EDSA and C5. Government flagship projects and certain emergency cases are exempted, however.

Shopping malls in the metro are also ordered to begin operations at 11 a.m. on weekdays instead of the usual 10am opening. Mall operators have also been instructed to deploy additional security personnel to control the flow of vehicles queueing up at parking-lot entrances in order to avoid gridlock. In addition, all malls must follow the ‘no weekday sale policy’ set by the agency, so Christmas shoppers, take note.

You can refer to the MMDA’s Facebook post below to view the full advisory:

This story originally appeared on Topgear.com.ph.

* Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.