DILG head suggests road fee for EDSA

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has revealed its Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., in a meeting that was held yesterday, February 4, 2025.

During the meeting, DILG Secretary, Jonvic Remulla, said that part of his long-term traffic management plan for Metro Manila and nearby areas is the modification of the bicycle lane to a “two-wheeled lane.” This means that the bicycle lane that was created during the pandemic, will be shared with other two-wheelers, such as motorcycles.

“Instead of purely bicycles, the lanes will include motorcycles,” said Remulla.

Remulla also noted that this move should prevent accidents, as 70% of motorcycle-related accidents involve riders trying to avoid congestion.

Another point in DILG’s traffic management plan was the eventual removal of the EDSA Carousel, aka the EDSA Bus Lane. According to Sec. Remulla, the northbound and southbound bus lanes will eventually be phased out since the MRT's passenger capacity will be increased from 300,000 to 800,000 within the year through additional train wagons. This will, in turn, make the EDSA bus lane no longer necessary.

“Number two, the bus lanes will be eventually phased out because the MRT’s capacity will increase…more wagons will be added. The rails will be modified. It will be able to take 800,000 [passengers] which will make up for the number of people riding the bus every day,” added Remulla.

Perhaps one of the highlights of the DILG’s traffic management plan for Metro Manila is the possibility of charging private vehicles a fee to use EDSA. This fee, says Sec. Remulla, would discourage owners from using their private vehicles and instead commute using the country’s mass transport system, including MRT.

Do you think the suggestions by the DILG will help in decongesting EDSA? Let us know what you think in the comments below.