MMDA says supposed removal of number coding window hours fake

August 20, 2024 - 5:01 PM
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Photo of heavy traffic along the southbound lane of EDSA on Holy Wednesday, April 5 (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)

There is no advisory released by the traffic authority which declares the removal of window hours in the vehicular number coding scheme.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) warned motorists of a fake photo declaring a supposed new schedule of the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP).

The traffic authority on Tuesday said that the post claiming that the number coding scheme is now from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with no window hours, is untrue.

“Walang pagbabago sa pinaiiral ng MMDA na expanded number coding scheme na mula 7 a.m. [to] 10 a.m. at 5 p.m. [to] 8 p.m. mula Lunes hanggang Biyernes, maliban tuwing holidays,” the MMDA said on August 20.

“Nananatili rin ang window hours kung saan maaari bumiyahe ang mga sasakyan na sakop ng coding sa window hours sa pagitan ng 10:01 a.m. at 4:59 p.m. at mula 8:01 p.m. hanggang 6:59 a.m. sa susunod na araw,” the agency added.

The MMDA also asked the public to refrain from spreading such false posts, especially if they did not originate from official sources, to avoid causing panic and confusion.

“Suriing mabuti ang mga impormasyon na lumalabas sa social media upang hindi maging biktima ng pekeng balita,” it said.

“Kung may natatanggap na mensahe o post sa social media ukol sa number coding at nais itong iberipika, maaaring tumawag sa MMDA Hotline 136 o magpadala ng mensahe sa ating MMDA official page,” the agency added.

The MMDA implements the number coding scheme on major roads in Metro Manila except in Makati City during weekdays, specifically during the morning and evening rush hours.

The scheme is implemented on the thoroughfares of EDSA, C5, C6, Recto Avenue, Quirino Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, Taft Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue, Magsaysay Boulevard, Aurora Boulevard, Quezon Avenue, Bonifacio Avenue, Rizal Avenue, Del Pan and Marcos Highway.

Meanwhile, it is not applicable to certain roads and tollways operated by private entities, such as the NAIA Expressway, Skyway System, South Luzon Expressway, Domestic Road, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, MIA Road, Sales Road, parts of Airport Road, some parts of Buendia, and tollway extensions like the NLEX Harbor Link.

The MMDA implements window hours from 10:01 a.m. to 4:59 p.m., or the hours in which the tagged vehicles can travel within their cities during coding. However, it does not apply to national, radial, and circumferential roads.

The number coding scheme prevents the following vehicles from traveling on certain days:

  • Vehicles with plate numbers ending in 1 and 2: Monday
  • Vehicles with plate numbers ending in 3 and 4: Tuesday
  • Vehicles with plate numbers ending in 5 and 6: Wednesday
  • Vehicles with plate numbers ending in 7 and 8: Thursday
  • Vehicles with plate numbers ending in 9 and 0: Friday

The scheme is an attempt to reduce vehicular volume on major roads in the densely populated National Capital Region.