The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), under the guidance of DOTr Secretary Giovanni โBanoyโ Z. Lopez, has directed its regional offices to coordinate with expressways management for the timely information dissemination on the status of the expressways within their respective areas of responsibility.
The directive covers Region 1 where the TPLEX is located, Region 3 where the SCTEX and NLEX is located, Metro Manila and Region 4A where SLEX, STAR Toll, CALAX and MCLEX are located.
Acting LTFRB Chairman Atty. Greg G. Pua, Jr. said they also instructed all Regional Franchising and Regulatory Offices (RFROs) in the three regions to coordinate with the local government units (LGUs) in identifying alternative routes from the expressways in cases of emergency and other unexpected incidents similar to what happened at the San Simon area of NLEX which was submerged in floodwater.
โOur priority has always been the welfare of passengers and the delivery of goods to the Filipino people. The incident that happened in NLEX is a wake-up call for us in the LTFRB and other agencies to do our part in coming up with measures to maximize the assistance to the public,โ said Acting Chairman Pua.
The LTFRB approach is two-pronged: the first focuses on information dissemination especially to the transport companies and the commuters, and the second is identification of alternative routes for worse-case scenarios.
No motorists and commuters would want to be stuck in traffic jams for hours and the two approaches are essential for both the transport companies and commuters to plan their travel ahead.
For Acting Chairman Pua, this is the part where the power of digital technology would play a key role in keeping the public informed.
For instance, an unexpected incident on expressways that were posted on social media would give the motorists the idea to plan their travel and even come up with alternative routes to avoid being stuck in traffic jams.
It is on this aspect of alternative routes that motorists are having troubles, based on the discussions on social media at the height of the NLEX San Simon incident.
And for Acting Chairman Pua, this is the part where the LTFRB could assist in coordination with the LGUs and other concerned government agencies.
He also tasked the concerned RFROs to strengthen coordination with transport and trucker companies for the widest dissemination of information to the public in cases of unexpected road emergencies.#
