Sweden offers help to improve EDSA Busway; DoTr does not rule out ropeway proposal for NCR
The Department of Transportation (DoTr) said on Monday that the Swedish government has offered to help expand the capacity of the EDSA Busway project, which is suffering from long queues with demand currently overwhelming the available number of buses.
“Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista gratefully accepted the offer from Swedish Ambassador to the Philippines Annika Thunborg to let the Government of Sweden explore how to improve the EDSA Busway project,” DoTr said in a statement.
“During a recent courtesy call at the DoTr Secretary’s office, Ambassador Thunborg relayed the Swedish government’s offer to help improve the operational efficiency of the much-patronized EDSA Busway project, (which currently offers) free rides to EDSA commuters until the end of the year,” it added.
The department said improving the EDSA Busway to accommodate demand when face-to-face classes resume this month is in line with Bautista’s promise to raise the transportation systems to global standards.
The EDSA Busway is a dedicated median busway that is a joint initiative of the DoTr, the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board, the Metro Manila Development Authority, and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
In an appearance on ANC HeadstartBautista said the department intends to “look for other possible bus stops” to improve the commuting experience.
“I had a meeting with the consortium that runs the EDSA Carousel, and we asked them to have additional buses, especially during the start of face-to-face classes on August 22,” he added.
CABLE BAGS
Mr. Bautista also said the department is open to having cable cars in the National Capital Region (NCR) as a way to reduce traffic.
“I do not discount the possibility of this. We are open to all ideas, although it may be difficult to implement it,” he said.
Last week, Senator Robinhood Ferdinand C. Padilla suggested using cable cars to clean up the roads.
“I would like to propose it because it will be convenient for the Philippines, especially in Metro Manila, because of the traffic,” he told senators at a plenary session on Tuesday.
Mr. Bautista said after the proposal, “I asked our undersecretary for the road sector to look into it.”
“We will conduct a study because in order to implement a program you need to have the important data,” he added.
The DoTr in the previous administration had approved a project proposal to the National Economic and Development Authority to build a cable car transit system between Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2’s Santolan Station in Marikina City and Barangay Rosario in Pasig City.
The feasibility study for the Metro Manila urban cable car project was funded by the French government.
The selected line stretches over 4.5 kilometers and mostly follows the Marikina River. It starts from LRT Line-2 Santolan Station and proceeds south to Ortigas Avenue in Rosario, Pasig.
Four more locations for stations were identified between LRT-2 Santolan Station and Rosario: Quezon City’s Libis and Eastwood and Pasig City’s Santolan and Manggahan. — Arjay L. Balinbin