Fix car volume on EDSA, gov’t told

A SENATOR on Thursday said that the government should address the volume of cars that passes along the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) before it pushes through with the planned rehabilitation of Metro Manila’s major highway.

“Our problem is the volume of cars, so no matter how smooth and well-maintained EDSA is, the vehicle volume will still be the same,” Senator Joseph Victor “JV” G. Ejercito told a news briefing.

He added that the government must first complete its major transportation projects to lessen the volume of cars before conducting the rehabilitation of EDSA.

“We need to look into mass transit because of our growing population… that’s why I’m pushing for the railway system, improvement of airports, infrastructure because it will spread out the development, it will develop the countryside,” Mr. Ejercito said.

He added that the government should have conducted an economic impact assessment before pushing through with the planned P5.8-billion project.

Last week, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. announced a one-month postponement of the EDSA revamp project to find a “better way” in rehabilitating the capital’s major thoroughfare, where more than 400,000 cars pass dai-ly. — Adrian H. Halili