(Eagle News) — Senator Koko Pimentel on Friday, Aug. 17, urged the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to exempt senior citizens from the driver-only vehicle ban on Edsa during rush hours.
“We should do everything we could to give utmost consideration to the elderly,” he said.
According to Pimentel, “commuting in Metro Manila is admittedly very difficult, more so for senior citizens who may not be able to handle the physical stress that comes with taking public transport.”
He said “we should do what we can not to add to the physical and mental stresses of our senior citizens, especially those their age who still have the capacity to drive.”
In the first place, he said the elderly only comprise 8.2 percent of the population.
This means, he said, that the percentage of senior citizens who ply Edsa was probably lower.
“This will not be a big dent on the target reduction of 70% of vehicular traffic during rush hours,” Pimentel said.
On Wednesday, Aug. 15, the MMDA held a dry-run of the system, which bans vehicles with only the driver as occupant on Edsa from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The policy will take full effect in August.