All previous issuances covering exemptions on the truck ban, except those on trucks booked through the Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS), have been indefinitely suspended by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
MMDA general manager Thomas Orbos, in Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 13-2016 dated September 1, said “all issued truck ban conduct passes by this Authority are hereby suspended indefinitely for evaluation and assessment in coordination with the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT).”
Asked which trucking operations will be affected by the new circular, Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines vice president for external affairs Pepito Dino told PortCalls they will still have to discuss the matter in an upcoming board meeting.
I-ACT is the single authority tasked to manage traffic in Metro Manila. It is composed of representatives from MMDA, Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group.
“All trucks are advised to observe the truck ban routes and window hours as prescribed by MMC (Metro Manila Council) STC (Special Traffic Committee) No. 15-03,” the memorandum circular adds.
MMC STC Resolution No. 15-03 re-implements the uniform truck ban in Metro Manila except on the northern truck route.
MC No. 13-2016 clearly exempts from the truck ban trucks booked with TABS, an electronic platform for booking containers at Manila South Harbor and Manila International Container Terminal. MMDA-MMC STC Resolution No. 02 had much earlier exempted trucks enrolled in TABS from the truck ban.
Orbos clarified that the truck ban along EDSA, from Magallanes Interchange in Makati City to North Avenue in Quezon City, is still being enforced 24 hours from Monday to Sunday.
“It is clear that there are no window hours for trucks passing through EDSA. I hope this dispels confusion among truck drivers,” Orbos said earlier.
Under existing rules, truck ban hours in Metro Manila are from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Trucks with perishable and agricultural cargo, however, remain exempt from the truck ban.
MMDA is currently conducting an inventory of all previously issued exemptions from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, or the number coding scheme, for review and evaluation. – Roumina Pablo
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