Vehicles pass through the Mindanao Avenue Toll Plaza without paying a toll fee after the Valenzuela City Government suspended the business permit of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation on December 7, 2020. Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian suspended the NLEX toll operator's permit due to its failure to comply with the city's demands to improve its RFID installation service that caused traffic jams in the area. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News
MANILA - Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian on Monday urged NLEX Corp to enforce a barrier-less tollway to have the suspension of its business permit lifted.
The firm had incidentally charged motorists during the toll holiday when one of its sensors continued to operate.
"Napatunayan na kasi, 6 days nang tumatakbo ng toll holiday at nakita namin na 'pag wala yung barrier napakabilis ng biyahe ng mga tao," Gatchalian told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
(It's been proven. The toll holiday has gone on for 6 days and people's journeys have gone faster without the barriers.)
"Kumbaga nailabas na natin sila sa impyerno, ayaw ko na silang ibalik ulit kaya sinasabi ko sa NLEX, buksan niyo ang barrier, maningil na lang kayo nang walang barrier."
(It's like we have rescued motorists from hell, I don't want them to return so I'm telling NLEX to lift the barriers and charge without these.)
Gatchalian said he can lift the suspension order as early as Monday afternoon if NLEX Corp implements the barrier-less scheme.
"Ang sagot nyan nasa NLEX na, gawin nila ang solusyon mamayang hapon malilift ang business permit suspension. Wag nilang gawin yun, magpapatuloy to. The ball is now in their court," he said.
(The answer depends on NLEX, if they can do the solution in the afternoon, the business permit suspension can be lifted. If they don't, it will continue.)
"Kung confident kayo sa sensors niyo, dapat di na issue ang barrier na yan so clearly hindi sila confident sa sensors nila."
(If they are confident in their sensors, lifting the barriers won't be an issue, so clearly they are not confident in their sensors.)
The Metro Pacific Tollways Corp envisions a "barrier-less" tollway in the future, its chief communication officer Romulo Quimbo said Sunday.
"Nakikita po natin sa hinaharap na eventually, itong barrier natin ay unti-unting mababawasan," he said.
(We can see in the future that our barriers will be fewer.)
Valenzuela City officials and MPTC representatives are set to meet later Monday to discuss solutions to heavy traffic in the tollway during the holiday season.
The MPTC said it would reinstall cash lanes and transfer reloading of RFID wallets to alleviate traffic.
Teleradyo, Valenzuela, NLEX, Rex Gatchalian, barrier-less tollway, NLEX Corp, MPTC