No Weekday Sale, Temporary Suspension of Road Repairs Eyed to Mitigate Traffic During Yuletide Season

In a concerted bid to ease the anticipated traffic during the holiday season, shopping mall operators, water utility and telecommunication companies, together with government agencies, have devised plans on how to mitigate the problem.

In a meeting held at the MMDA headquarters yesterday, October 22, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Jojo Garcia and concerned representatives reached an agreement to be implemented from November 11, 2019,  to January 10, 2020.

The following action plan are as follows:

1. All shopping malls located in Metro Manila will begin their operations by 11 AM, an hour later from the usual 10 AM opening time, during weekdays;
2. Shopping mall operators to deploy additional security personnel to facilitate the long lines of vehicles going inside mall parking areas which cause traffic gridlock;
3. Removal of obstructions on loading and unloading bays in the vicinity of shopping malls;
4. Limiting deliveries of non-perishable goods only at night-time or from 11 PM to 5 AM;
5. No weekday sale policy; and
6. Temporary suspension of road reblockings along EDSA and C5, except government flagship projects and/or during emergency cases

Garcia reiterated that these measures have been laid down to somehow reduce anticipated traffic congestion, particularly along EDSA, during the holidays.

"Traffic is already bad and we expect it to get worse as the number of vehicles increases daily," said Garcia.

Garcia claimed that shopping malls are considered traffic generators during the holidays and delaying their operating hours by an hour could help ease traffic situation in Metro Manila.

At least 100 shopping malls are situated within Metro Manila.

Among those who attended the meeting are representatives from SM Supermalls, Ayala malls, Robinsons, Trinoma, Fishermall, Greenhills Shopping Center, Globe, Smart, PLDT, and Manila Water.