MANILA – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) deferred the implementation of new tollway guidelines until Oct. 1 to allow toll operators to fine-tune their expressway operations.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista announced the postponement of the policy from Aug. 31 to Oct. 1.
“We hope the concerned agencies and tollway operators would use the 30-day deferment to fine-tune expressway operations and further intensify the public information campaign to enable tollway users to comply with the new guidelines,” he said.
The revised guidelines, contained in Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) no. 2024-01 signed on Aug. 1 by Bautista, Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief, Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II, and Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Executive Director Alvin Carullo.
The memorandum circular, once implemented, would impose penalties for lack of installed electronic toll collection (ETC) devices or insufficient load balance of the radio frequency identification device (RFID), as well as strengthen the deputization by LTO of tollway enforcers.
It would update the responsibilities of the LTO, TRB, DOTr, tollway concessionaires, and users.
“These revised guidelines should significantly improve traffic along expressways through cashless or contactless toll plazas,” Bautista said.
In an interview over Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, TRB spokesperson Julius Corpuz said the new guidelines seek to have smooth and fast transactions at all toll plazas, particularly in ETC lanes.
It would prohibit those without RFID or lacking in load balance from using an RFID lane or else be penalized.
Corpuz estimated that around 90 percent of motorists passing through expressways have RFIDs while 10 percent do not.
In 2021, the TRB designated only one exit lane for cash transactions at toll plazas in compliance with a previous order for the DOTr. (PNA)
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