Tuesday, August 26, 2008 MMDA defends barriers at Edsa, other main roads
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said the barriers placed by the agency along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) and other major thoroughfares were not among the main causes of traffic-related incidents in Metro Manila.
"There is no truth to allegations that our barriers caused traffic accidents," MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando said.
He said the concrete barriers, pink fences and bus lanes separators along the main roads have complied with international traffic safety standards contrary to claims made by drivers.
"The barriers should not be blamed for the road accidents because the MMDA before putting it on the highway have already installed the necessary safety device for it to be visible to motorists," Fernando said.
Records of the agency's Metropolitan Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (Mmaras) showed that only 0.13 percent or about 84 out of the 63,072 accidents since last year can be traced as being directly related to the road barriers.
The figures were culled from blotters of police stations from the five police districts in Metro Manila, as well as reports received by the MMDA Traffic Operations Center.
Fernando said that from January 2005 to July 2008, the Mmaras recorded 2,344 accidents in 11 intersections with traffic signal lights at Edsa compared to 499 accidents in areas where the 23 U-turn slots of the MMDA are located.
On the other hand, eight motorists and pedestrians died and 237 others were seriously hurt in accidents along intersections compared to five dead and 43 injured in U-turn slots.
The MMDA chief said based on this figure alone, one can deduced that majority of the traffic accidents took place at intersection where there are signal lights compared to the U-turn slots.
Motorists have raised alarm over the increasing number of vehicular accidents along Edsa and other thoroughfares brought by the road structures installed by the agency.
Among their complaints were of inadequate lighting during nighttime involving the bus lane separators that makes it hard for them to spot the structures.
They also blamed the MMDA for the lack of early warning device installed upon the approach of the U-turn slots and the absence of reflectors and blinkers on the concrete barriers to prevent accidents.
Motorists have likewise complained the U-turn slots installed by the MMDA in the metropolis ostensibly to speed up the flow of traffic. (AH/Sunnex)
