i-ACT to Suspend Window Hours for Private Vehicles Starting October 17, Moratorium on All Utility Works to Start in November

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In a bid to decongest traffic in Metro Manila this Christmas Season, the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (i-ACT) has appealed to the Metro Manila Council (MMC) to come up with a Resolution to remove the "window hours" for private vehicles traversing EDSA, C5, Roxas Blvd., cities of Makati, Las Piñas, Mandaluyong, and Alabang Zapote road under the Number Coding Scheme.

The appeal was made due to the expected rise in the volume of vehicles in Metro Manila in the next few months. Public Utility Vehicles, on the other hand, shall still strictly observe the Number Coding Scheme with NO window hours. The Resolution is set to be implemented on October 17, 2016 and will last until January 31, 2017.

After January 31, i-ACT shall assess the impact of the "no window hours" measure and determine if it has created a positive impact in alleviating traffic congestion in the metropolis. The assessment shall be submitted to the Metro Manila Council, through the Metro Manila Mayors, who will decide if it will be implemented further or permanently.

Window hours refer to the five-hour period (10:00am-3:00pm) when motorists covered by the scheme on a specific day can still pass without being apprehended. A dry-run of the "no window hours" will be implemented on October 12 to 14.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic during the Holiday Season, i-ACT also reached out to operators of Utility companies in order to set the moratorium on road repairs and diggings starting November 1 to January 9.

The moratorium shall cover all road works by utility companies and government, but with the exclusion of flagship projects such as the Skyway 3.