SMC Infrastructure has initiated comprehensive preparations for the expected surge in vehicular traffic across its expressways starting Monday, April 14, as thousands of Filipinos travel from Metro Manila to the provinces for the Holy Week observance.
The company said it has put in place traffic management plans for its tollways, namely the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), the Skyway System, NAIA Expressway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), and coordinated this with various local government units.
The company said it anticipates heavy traffic particularly at interchanges linking its tollways to national highways and other expressways, and has advised motorists to plan their trips well for the upcoming holidays.
“Our instruction to our operations personnel is to make sure that our traffic management plans are in sync with the different towns and cities so that traffic flows smoothly along public roads. When public roads are congested, motorists along our carriageways are also affected as traffic can extend to the exits and onto the main line,” explained SMC chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.
“We hope that through close and constant collaboration with traffic management teams of LGUs, we can help reduce traffic buildups especially at critical points of convergence within our towns and cities,” he added.
The company’s contingency measures include increasing the deployment of tollway personnel such as patrollers and emergency responders, to assist those in need.
It also reminded motorists of measures they can take to contribute to the overall improvement of the traffic situation along expressways. This includes ensuring their Autosweep RFID accounts are topped, to avoid unnecessary queueing at toll plazas. Reloading Autosweep RFID accounts is widely available through online banking apps, e-wallets, over-the-counter desks, and payment kiosks.
For motorists who have yet to register for an Autosweep RFID account, the company reiterated that stickers remain free of charge, and users can load the exact amount of toll they will use. Replacement of stickers which have deteriorated over time also remain free of charge.
The company also advised cash-paying motorists to switch to Autosweep RFID electronic toll collection, as this is a much faster, more convenient method of payment that also contributes to shorter queueing times at toll plazas.
Meanwhile, SMC Infrastructure stopped all roadworks and construction activities at expressways to help ensure traffic flow will not be disrupted. This started 12:00 PM of Friday, April 11, and will end at 10:00 PM of Monday, April 21.
Further enhancing Holy Week preparations on major expressways is Petron Corporation’s Lakbay Alalay program, the country’s longest-running motorist assistance initiative.
Petron will provide free motorist assistance, clean restrooms, and limited freebies from brand partners at Petron Marilao (NLEX), Petron San Pedro (SLEX), and Petron TPLEX northbound on April 16 and 17.
On April 20, Lakbay Alalay will be at Petron Bocaue (NLEX), Petron KM 44 northbound, and TPLEX southbound
To help mitigate any other possible delays to their trips, SMC Infrastructure also called on motorists to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy, with tires properly inflated and engines thoroughly checked before traveling.
Motorists are also reminded to adhere to speed limits along expressways, as well as to keep a safe braking distance, and to always wear their seatbelts.
SMC’s at-grade or ground-level expressways have a maximum speed limit of 100 kph for Class 1 vehicles, and 80 kph for Classes 2 and 3 vehicles. Elevated expressways such as the Skyway System and NAIA Expressway have a maximum speed limit of 80 kph, except at curved portions of the carriageway which have a 60 kph speed limit for safety reasons.
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