Provincial bus ban also begins

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MANILA - The weeklong dry run of a ban on single-occupancy vehicles in EDSA pushed through on Wednesday despite criticism from some commuters and at least 2 senators.

The new traffic policy will be implemented during rush hours, from 7 to 10 a.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. It will cover the stretch of EDSA running from North Avenue to Magallanes, said Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Special Operations Group head Bong Nebrija.

During the ban's dry run, the MMDA will take note of the plate numbers of single-occupancy vehicles through non-contact apprehension, but erring drivers will not be flagged down, Nebrija told radio DZMM.

LOOK: MMDA enforcers manually list violators at the corner of Dr. Jose P. Rizal Extension and EDSA during the dry run of the driver-only car ban or HOV on Wednesday | via Mark Demayo pic.twitter.com/faMxpTxj9L

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) August 15, 2018

Some 70 percent of vehicles along EDSA carry only the driver, the MMDA earlier said.

The driver-only ban may replicate the crippling EDSA traffic in alternative roads where driver-only vehicles would be diverted, Sen. Grace Poe earlier said. It could also give rise to "passengers-for-hire" that risks public safety, Sen. Leila De Lima warned.

• Poe: Why so sure driver-only car ban can ease EDSA traffic?

• Ban on single-occupancy vehicles on EDSA puts public at risk: De Lima

MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia denied this, saying drivers are encouraged to carpool with acquaintances, not strangers, as well as refrain from merely taking alternative inner city and barangay roads.

Garcia said under the ban, ride-hailing services like Grab and Micab may still pick up passengers from EDSA before leaving through the thoroughfare's nearest exit.

Doctors responding to emergency are also exempted from the ban, said Nebrija.

If the dry run succeeds, the ban will be fully enforced on August 23, after which violators will face penalties, said Garcia.

The MMDA will use thermal cameras to check compliance with the ban, he added.

The Land Transportation Office, meanwhile, will release guidelines on car tints and curtains, said Francis Almora of the agency's law enforcement service.

The MMDA has detected some 3,000 ban violators as of 1 p.m., Garcia said.

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PROVINCIAL BUS BAN

The MMDA on Wednesday also started banning provincial buses on EDSA from its Cubao to Pasay section during rush hour.

Affected passengers may transfer to city buses, which may eventually be exempted from the number coding scheme if the new traffic rule succeeds, Garcia told radio DZMM.

Mahaba na ang pila sa Valenzuela Gateway Center Integrated Bus Terminal kahit hindi pa dito ibinababa ang mga pasahero galing sa mga probinsya; pero MMDA, iginiit na tuloy ang implementasyon ng provincial bus ban ngayon | via @jervismanahan pic.twitter.com/qdXCL1tf0q

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) August 14, 2018

MMDA enforcers have started to apprehend erring provincial bus drivers, added Nebrija.

The public may send feedback on the new traffic schemes through MMDA's hotline 136 or social media accounts, said the agency's spokesperson, spokesperson Celine Pialogo.