The total truck ban along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue is still in effect and there are no window hours being imposed, the Metro Manila Development Authority said on Wednesday.
The MMDA made the clarification following reports that the newly created Inter-Agency Council on Traffic, which composed of several government agencies tasked to manage traffic in Metro Manila, is not implementing the ban.
MMDA officer-in-charge Thomas Orbos said the ban on Edsa, from Magallanes Interchange in Makati City to North Avenue in Quezon City, is still being enforced 24 hours from Monday to Sunday.
He added the total truck ban is being imposed by virtue of the Special Traffic Committee Resolution Number 03 Series of 2015 approved by the Metro Manila Council, the policy-making body of the MMDA.
The resolution stated that the total ban on trucks and heavy vehicles, regardless of weight, shall still be applicable and observed on Edsa and on the three central business districts namely Ortigas, Makati, and Bonifacio Global City.
“It is clear that there are no window hours for trucks passing through Edsa. I hope this dispels confusion among truck drivers,” Orbos said.
Under existing rules, truck ban hours in Metro Manila is from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Trucks with perishable and agricultural cargo, however, shall be exempted from the truck ban.
Violators would pay a fine of P2,000 and that the license of a driver apprehended three times would be recommended for a year’s suspension.
The truck ban covers trailer trucks, stake trucks, dump trucks, cement trucks/mixers, long bed trucks, wing vans, closed vans, panel trucks, and other similar vehicles.
Moreover, the MMDA is doing an inventory of all previously issued exemptions from the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or the number coding scheme, subject for review and evaluation.