Friday traffic jam cost buses, trucks P66.25M

BUS AND TRUCK companies lost more than P66.25 million after a gridlock at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) lasted more than twelve hours on Friday.

A thousand trucks lost an estimated P20,000 per trip after drivers incurred delays in picking up shipments at the Port of Manila, Albert H. Suansing, president of the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines told BusinessWorld in a phone interview on Saturday.

“A truck from Pampanga going to Pier left at 4:00 a.m. [on Friday]... arrived its destination [Saturday] early morning,” Mr. Suansing said.

Bus companies incurred similar losses after trips to Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Bataan were delayed by “three to four hours,” Alex Yague, president of the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines (PBOAP), told BusinessWorld in a text message.

Some 3,700 passenger buses carrying 50 passengers each lost as much as P10,000 to P15,000 in revenues that day, Mr. Yague said.

“Travel time differs depending on the provincial destination but commuter trips are from three to four hours, while long-distance trips are over five to 14 hours,” he explained.

To prevent a repeat of the gridlock, Mr. Suansing said that “the government should really fix the roads so hindi nagiging funnel ang itsura, kasi for example, dun sa Road 10 A. Bonifacio Drive, from four lanes naging 1 1/2 lanes na lang (The government should fix the roads so that it won’t look like a funnel. The four lanes along Road 10 in A. Bonifacio Drive in Manila have narrowed to only one and a half).”

Last Friday, traffic at the NLEx leading to Metro Manila stood still as trucks hurried to pick up containers that have congested the Port of Manila since August.

These trucks have only been allowed to occupy one lane along the expressway, prompting the highway operator to blame the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) -- which, among others, sets traffic rules in the city -- for the policy.

However, MMDA Chairman Francis N. Tolentino blamed the jam on the Philippine Ports Authority, saying that it only opened “a few gates” at the Port of Manila, thereby delaying the entrance of trucks.

source:  Businessworld

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