In case you didn't know, EDSA buses can now take you from North Edsa to Makati in under 60 minutes

After weeks under the general community quarantine (GCQ), workers in Metro Manila decided to head on to their jobs and tried what was the quickest way from their homes to their work destinations. Many people wish to traverse the frenetic north end of EDSA to the metro’s busy Makati district on a trip to their work, the lack of transportation notwithstanding.

But travelling along EDSA now isn’t as difficult as you may think.

A more accessible, convenient and faster mass transport system awaits commuters with the full implementation of the EDSA Carousel project.

According to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Danilo Lim, designating the innermost lane of Edsa exclusively for buses will help decongest traffic, thus reducing travel time from north to south entry points of EDSA and vice versa.



“We are prioritizing the movement of more people on Edsa through a more efficient mass transport system,” Lim stressed, following the inspection yesterday of loading and unloading bays for the new bus scheme, together with several members of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Metro Manila Development.

Travel time during an inspection was 50 minutes from Monumento to MMDA office in Guadalupe, with two short stops at Main Avenue and Santolan.



As this develops, Lim said the agency's Traffic Engineering Center (TEC) is looking at the possibility of closing several u-turn slots within the stretch of the  dedicated bus lane for unimpeded travel to ensure faster mobility for the commuting public.

"I have instructed TEC to study the impact of closing the u-turn slots and find viable solutions to negate its effect," Lim said.

Lim stressed that the convenience of the commuters is the topmost priority of the agency, adding that the agency will work on the suggestions and ideas raised by the congressmen to further improve the busway system and the infrastructures. (from MMDA's Official Facebook Page)


Available bus stops

Currently, the EDSA Carousel route covers from North EDSA to Mall of Asia. The stops are North EDSA, Quezon Avenue, Cubao, EDSA Ortigas, EDSA Shaw, Ayala, Magallanes, Taft and MOA.

MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago said the bus stops have fences, waiting sheds and markings to ensure social distancing. Concrete barriers, Pialago said, will soon replace the plastic orange barriers being used for the meantime in some of the bus stops.  The commuters can use the existing MRT and LRT infrastructure, including its elevators, stairs or escalators. The commuters can also use the existing footbridges.

Of the total 16 bus stops, 10 are ready for operations, but the MMDA expects all bus stops to be operational in the following days.

Any thoughts?

Share your ideas by commenting.

If you have read this blog post here, I like to inform you that the original post is at https://emongsjournals.blogspot.com