MMDA to intensify no-contact apprehension policy in EDSA

A lot has changed since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. It's been a hard-fought battle in many ways, but it's the opinion of many that we could be getting back our old lives—or at least some version of it—back soon. Having everything we used to isn't all good, however.

Take traffic on EDSA, for example. As countless motorists would attest, congestion on the thoroughfare has been consistently hellish over the past decade. It has directly contributed to Metro Manila being labeled as having "the worst traffic in Southeast Asia" in 2015 and consistently among the worst globally in various years.

This year, as the nation's capital shifts to Alert Level 1, the lowest COVID-19 alert level status, traffic is beginning to go back to its old, hair-pulling ways. With vehicle volume on the rise, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is back on the case.

In an interview Tuesday with TV Patrol, MMDA Chairman Bong Nebrija stated the agency's directive to strengthen its no-contact apprehension policy.

"We anticipate that vehicle volume will increase in EDSA, and with that, we will be intensifying non-contact apprehension," Nebrija said in a mix of Filipino and English.

"Don't be complacent that you won't get caught if you commit a traffic violation because we will be doing this non-contact apprehension," he added.

The MMDA is certainly watching, and it should send a bone-chilling message to habit violators that their dubious ways won't fly in the face of the government agency. Traffic in EDSA is now approaching pre-pandemic levels, so motorists would do well to catch on. 

On top of that, the MMDA is reportedly considering bringing back the full number coding scheme in Metro Manila soon. Makati City has already pulled the trigger on that, and it could be only a matter of time for the rest of the capital.