THE Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP) wants 24/7 “immunity routes” reinstituted for trucks carrying north and south-bound cargoes.
CTAP is asking the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to study its request to declare several key roads free from the Metro Manila number-coding scheme all day long.
Immunity routes were shortly implemented a few years ago.
CTAP president Ruperto Bayucot told PortCalls the return of the scheme will reduce logistics cost, delivery time and spoilage by 20-30%.
“Dedicated lanes for trucks is better compared to the existing procedure which allows trucks to go out only during specific times,” Bayucot said.
“We are appealing to the MMDA to reinstate the truck immunity routes as truck operators and cargo owners are incurring undue cost with the current procedures.”
Proposed immunity routes
CTAP wants the following roads designated as 24/7 immunity routes: Quirino Avenue to South Luzon Expressway; and Road 10, C-3, and 5th Avenue to Balintawak on to the North Luzon expressway from both the North and South Harbor in Manila.
For cargoes bound for the economic corridor of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, truckers want Roxas Boulevard designated as the immunity route.
At the moment, trucks are barred from the streets of Metro Manila from 6am to 9am and from 5pm to 9pm, Mondays to Fridays. In Makati City, they may only ply their routes after 9pm.
When they are allowed to operate, truckers may only do so using certain routes designated by each city. Truckers claim the roads designated are usually narrow, resulting in even heavier traffic.
