DOTr checking if it's better to reverse EDSA Busway flow

By now, you may have already seen the viral video or news of the Cadillac Escalade bearing the number 7 protocol plate which violated the EDSA Busway. For those who are not familiar with the 7 protocol plate, it means that the vehicle is being used or owned by a senator.

While we’re not going to discuss the outcome of that case, VIPs and even motorcyclists violating the said bus lane are not new, even with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s raising the fine up to PHP 30,000. So the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has a plan: bus counterflowing EDSA, on the busway, of course.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

_{DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista}

Transportation Secretary, Jaime Bautista, said in a recent interview that the agency is considering the possibility of reversing the directions of the busway along the busy EDSA. That means the northbound buses will be using the EDSA southbound lane while the southbound buses will be using the EDSA northbound lane. In other words, buses will be counterflowing along the EDSA Busway.

“Para exclusive lang yung busway sa buses, for public utility vehicles. Tapos yung pintuan ng bus nasa right side din, so mayroon ding safety considerations,” said DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista.

(So that the busway will be exclusive to buses only, for public utility vehicles. Then, since the bus’s door is on the right side, there are also safety considerations.)

The DOTr, via message to Autoindustriya.com, added that the feasibility study is already underway, with the challenging part being the EDSA-Ayala area. DOTr also added that in the event that the counterflowing EDSA Busway would be implemented, additional safety measures will be implemented along the whole stretch of the busway, including signaling systems, lane markings, barriers and even additional manpower.