MANILA - At least 1 motorist died out of 19 who figured in an accident in the leftmost lane of EDSA since its implementation on June 1, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said Monday as it warned the public against using the lane intended for buses.

The MMDA had transferred the bus lanes to control passenger lines and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus as Metro Manila eased its virus lockdown.

• MMDA eyes EDSA left lanes for buses in new normal

"'Yung mga aksidente po dyan, halos karamihan we cannot blame the barriers kasi fixed post yan, may receptorized flaglets yan, meron naman tayong hazard markers before that. Visible naman pero may mga bumabangga pa rin," EDSA traffic chief Bong Nebrija told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(Most of the accidents there are not because of the barriers because they are fixed posts, have receptorized flaglets and hazard markers. They're visible but people still crash into them.)

"Hindi naman kami nagkulang. Ang sabi nga namin ingatan niyo kasi meron dyang pumapasok. Kalimitan ng aksidente dyan, pumapasok sa busway, eh ang tendency nyan kung wala kang sinusundan is to really speed up to the point na magkakaroon ka ng highway hypnosis and then a sudden maneuver will create an accident."

(We did not lack in reminding the public. We told them to be careful because some enter the lane. Most of the accidents are due to those who enter it, and has the tendency to speed up to the point where you'll have highway hypnosis and then a sudden maneuver will create an accident.)

The EDSA busway will be barricaded from Monumento up to Mall of Asia, Nebrija said. The MMDA is open to public suggestion for more safety measures as it awaits shipments of concrete barriers and renovates its existing ones, he added.

"Yan na po talaga. Yung construction ng bus stations dyan halos kumpleto na, hinihintay na lang namin yung waiting shed na mailagay," he said.

(That's final. The construction of bus stations there is almost complete, we're just waiting for the installment of waiting sheds.)

Motorists earlier urged authorities to place additional safety devices along the busway to help minimize accidents.

Former MMDA chairman Marikina Rep. Bayani Fernando criticized the new policy, saying it was "not the time to experiment" during the pandemic.

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