The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will put to the test starting today its High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane that intends to move people faster while driving along Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA).
Crisanto Saruca, MMDA Council Secretariat, said the HOV lane is for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers.
“The HOV lane is the leftmost lane near the wall of Metro Rail Transit on both southbound and northbound,” said Saruca during the agency’s radio program over dzBB.
During the weeklong dry run period until December 17, motorists who will violate the lane restriction will only receive a warning from traffic enforcers. The Metrobase that monitors traffic situation along EDSA and other major thoroughfares via closed circuit television cameras will also record violators.
The full implementation of the scheme will start on December 18, Monday. Violators will be issued traffic violation tickets: R150 for disregarding traffic sign and R500 for reckless driving. Earlier, MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim said the HOV lanes are designed to maximize the movement of people rather than vehicles by giving them an exclusive lane along EDSA. (Anna Liza Villas-Alavaren)