What the NLEX operator will do to facilitate traffic

‘STUDY WRONG’ Congestion builds up at the North Luzon Expressway toll plaza gates in Bocaue, Bulacan, as faulty sensors are unable to read vehicles’ RFID tags. Sen. Grace Poe wants the Department of Transportation to explain the “regrettable” experience of motorists with her “poorly studied” order for a switch to electronic toll collection. —RICHARD A. REYES

Manila, Philippines – The North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) operator said Thursday that it would immediately relocate radio frequency identification (RFID) tag installation and recharge sites at toll plazas in the city of Valenzuela to ease congestion on the highway.

NLEx Corp. announced its decision after a call from Malacañang for the company and the local government of the city of Valenzuela to resolve their dispute over the monstrous moorings on the highway caused by a mandatory change from manual to electronic toll collection in the highways that started on December 1.

Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian suspended NLEx Corp.’s business permit on Monday after the company failed to resolve problems with its electronic toll collection system that caused problems at the toll gates. Then the city government declared a “toll holiday” to allow vehicular traffic to pass through the toll plazas without hindrance. The kilometer-long rear ends of the highway disappeared.

On Thursday, NLEx Corp. Senior Vice President Romulo Quimbo said the company would immediately move its RFID installation and recharge sites from the Karuhatan and Mindanao avenues toll plazas to improve traffic flow there.

“From a traffic management point of view, you eliminate customers who have different reasons for being in toll plazas,” Quimbo said.

He said that NLEx Corp. quickly reimbursed more than 1,000 motorists who had been charged at the toll gates after Gatchalian suspended the company’s business permit.

Quimbo said the error was due to technical oversight.

He said the company was awaiting a response from the city government to its letter detailing proposed solutions to the problem.

Transportation Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor said Thursday that Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade inspected NLEx toll booths on Wednesday and gave recommendations to the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), a body overseen by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and that supervises the operations of the toll roads. .

In an online briefing, TRB CEO Abraham Sales said Tugade recommended that NLEx Corp. use its backup emergency lanes for the RFID business during peak hours to reduce congestion.

Palace support

Sales said TRB asked NLEx Corp. to submit a recommendation for the reconfiguration of the toll plazas on Karuhatan and Mindanao avenues.

He said the board also told the toll operator to replace worn RFID tags and update its data transmission software.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque told a news conference that Malacañang supported TRB’s position that there should be changes to toll plazas if traffic on the toll roads runs smoothly.

“The TRB, their position is that there really have to be changes. For our operators, they must replace their old and faulty sensors to keep the flow of vehicles smooth. It is necessary to relocate, reposition the RFID installation and the charging lanes. There is a need to maintain, upgrade and update your system software. There is a need to improve public traffic management and improve customer service support, including [other things]”Roque said.

He said that the national government understands that local governments also exercise regulatory powers, but must also be aware of the interests of toll road investors.

“We cannot deny the local government its jurisdiction to issue business permits because that is in accordance with the law, it is in the Local Government Code, and the concept of local autonomy is part of our Constitution,” said Roque.

But at the same time, they should also think about the need to balance [their actions] because projects like highways were developed by private [investors]. Future investors could be discouraged if this happens frequently, ”he added.

Suspend RFID system

Sen. Grace Poe and Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor joined the call Thursday for DOTr to suspend implementation of electronic toll collection to protect motorists.

In a statement, Poe said he had submitted a resolution for transportation officials led by Tugade to explain to the Senate the “regrettable” experience of motorists with DOTr’s “poorly studied” order for the mandatory switch to electronic toll collection.

“We ask DOTr to suspend full implementation of the 100 percent cashless transaction that forced toll operators. The system is not completely ready, ”Poe said.

Poe, chairman of the Senate Public Services Commission, urged DOTr to “review the order and suspend [it] to protect motorists. ”

In the House of Representatives, Defensor said that the implementation of electronic toll collection should be moved to March next year, and that toll road operators will be able to import COVID-19 vaccines for their employees.

Defender noted that the DOTr ordered the early introduction of the RFID system after toll collectors and other employees of toll operators at NLEx and the South Luzon Expressway became infected with the coronavirus.

He said that if operators were allowed to import vaccines for their employees, there would be no need to rush the implementation of electronic toll collection. In the meantime, he said operators could fix flaws in their electronic collection systems. —REPORTS FROM MIGUEL R. CAMUS, MARIEJO S. RAMOS, JEROME ANING, MELVIN GASCON, AND NESTOR CORRALES

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