MMDA wants 60 km/h speed limit on EDSA

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced a 60 km/h speed limit on all roads in Metro Manila. The government agency plans to implement the limit to reduce the number of road accidents during non-peak hours and early hours of the day. 

The limit was implemented to combat accidents that tend to happen during the wee hours when EDSA opens up and is free for motorists to speed up as they please. No announcement has yet been made as to how the MMDA will enforce this law, however. 

On other major highways in other parts of the Metro, a 60 km/h speed limit has already been implemented. Drivers going through thoroughfares like Commonwealth Avenue and Roxas Boulevard are limited to 60 km/h, but speeds at or exceeding 60 km/h are not achievable in traffic. The problem arises when the motorways are freed up. There are only specific times when motorists can reach 60 km/h on their speedometers. Garcia mentions that motorists can reach 60 km/h on Roxas Boulevard at noontime, thus not slowing the flow of traffic. On a related note, motorists can already drive at the speed limit as traffic loosens up in the Balintawak and Monumento areas while traversing EDSA. 

To recap, the speed limit is not as pointless as it seems. Initially one may say, “It’s too traffic to reach those speeds anyway,” but then the law does not target those that are in traffic. The MMDA wants to minimize the number of vehicular road accidents during the hours where speeding can actually happen. In an attempt to lessen the number of accidents that can result from speeding, the MMDA offers this recourse to hopefully completely prevent or lessen the severity of these types of accidents.

The announcement was made on March 26, 2019, and no mention was made as to when the implementation and enforcement of the speed limit will happen. The MMDA has also released no statement as to how it will monitor the speeds of the cars going through EDSA for now.

Source: Inquirer