Cash lanes will be reopened at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to reduce the heavy traffic brought by system problems on RFID lanes due to 100% cashless payment implementation.
“Maglalagay na po tayo ng mga cash lane. Ibabalik natin ang cash lane… magtatalaga na tayo ng cash lanes, halimbawa sa Balintawak toll plaza ‘yun pong malalaki maglalagay ulit tayo ng cash lane doon,” Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. chief communications officer Romulo Quimbo told Dobol B sa News TV.
“Napag alaman namin kahapon na ito rin ang gusto ng Office of the President at MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. May isang option na sabay na RFID at cash [so] ibabalik natin ang konsepto na ‘yun,” Quimbo said.
MPTC covers North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAEX), Cebu Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), and the NLEX Connector.
Yesterday, the League of Municipalities of Bulacan urged the government to return cash lanes and stop the RFID system, for now, to resolve the heavy traffic building at North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
“Maglagay muna ng temporary cash lanes para hindi humaba ang pila. Parang nirereklamo namin actually dito, ‘yung mahabang pila na nung minsan kasagsagan nito, umabot ng limang kilometro,” league president and Guiguinto Mayor Ambrosio Cruz Jr. said.
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NLEX to reopen cash lanes amid RFID mess
“So naapektuhan ‘yung negosyo, naapektuhan ‘yung commuters, naapektuhan ‘yung mga motorists,” he added.
Toll Regulatory Board’s (TRB) audit already showed the problems that led them to present solutions to toll operators.
“The instruction to the operator is to relocate po ‘yung mga plaza particularly po doon po sa may Balintawak, . . . although hindi po nago-operate ngayon ‘yung Karuhatan and then the Mindanao Plaza,” TRB executive director Abraham Sales said.
“I believe na ‘yun po talaga ‘yung nag-cause ng traffic congestion sa lugar na ‘yun. In addition po sa mga glitches na naobserbahan din po in the past,” he added.
During rush hour, emergency lanes are used as transaction lanes while broken and defective RFID sensors and tags are being replaced.