Ex-lawmaker suggest a reverse-flowing EDSA Busway
The EDSA Busway is perhaps the best thing that has happened in this thoroughfare since its inception during the pandemic. With this busway, city buses no longer block 2 or 3 lanes of EDSA that puts vehicular traffic at a standstill, and commuters are given a fast and reliable transit system.
Since 2023, the penalty for violating the EDSA Busway was raised to PHP 5,000 to as much as PHP 30,000. However, many individuals see the busway as an express lane to skip traffic, from motorcycle riders, to VIPs, politicians, and even high-ranking Philippine National Police (PNP) officials.
An ex-lawmaker has proposed a solution to deter busway violators: reverse the flow of the EDSA Busway – meaning it will counterflow along the country’s busiest avenue.
Stations would look something like this
Returning senatorial candidate, Panfilo Lacson, has suggested a counterflowing EDSA Busway, echoing a similar proposal from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in November 2024. The core idea is that reversing the bus lane’s direction would naturally discourage illegal entry due to the risk of head-on collisions, with buses running at 50 kilometers per hour.
“To prevent unauthorized vehicles from using the bus way, MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) may consider studying the infrastructure reconfiguration to reverse the direction of buses passing through the bus lanes and make the problem solve itself,” said Lacson on X (formerly Twitter).
“Nobody wants a head-on collision,” added Lacson.
Last year, the DOTr said that a feasibility study was underway, with the challenging part being the EDSA-Ayala area. DOTr also added that in the event that the counterflowing EDSA Busway would be implemented, additional safety measures should be implemented along the whole stretch of the busway, including signaling systems, lane markings, barriers and even additional manpower.
