NLEX Corp. apologizes, appeals for understanding amid congestion in Valenzuela

NLEX Corp. — which operates the North Luzon and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressways — appealed for understanding and more time to address congestion concerns in Valenzuela amid the complete shift to a cashless radio frequency identification (RFID) system.

The company's senior vice president Romulo Quimbo Jr. on Monday said it is now working to respond to the threat of Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian for the company to resolve the heavy traffic due to the shift to an automated tolling system.

"Gusto namin magpaabot ng paghingi ng pag-unawa sa mga taga-Valenzuela," Quimbo said in an interview on GMA Super Radyo DZBB, noting that heavy traffic conditions were reported along the Karuhatan area and the McArthur Highway.

"Talaga pong napakaraming tao na nagtatransaksyon sa City Hall na naaabala naman sa lakad nila doon, humihingi rin po tayo ng pang-unawa doon kasi po nagi-spillover po sa national road 'yung problema natin sa tollway, so pinapaabot naman po natin na meron tayong pagkukulang dito sa management nung ating RFID system at ginagawan naman po natin ng paraan 'yan," he said.

Gatchalian over the weekend blamed the shift to the RFID collection system for the traffic congestion in the city, and threatened that NLEX Corp. could run the risk of losing its business permits should the concerns remain unaddressed.

"Magpapadala po kami ng communication sa kanya, i-o-offer po namin 'yung aming mga solutions na nakikita namin at we will await, sana naman po hindi na umabot ng ganon," Quimbo said.

"Naiintindihan naman po natin 'yung frustration ng mga kababayan natin doon. Of course we empathize na talagang kailangan nating solusyonan. Ang sinasabi lang namin, bigyan kami ng konting panahon at sana naman 'wag na tayong umabot doon," he added.

Quimbo explained that the congestion in Valenzuela, where NLEX toll gates are located, was caused by several problems such as technical issues during the first day of the shift to RFIDs, coupled with the seasonal increase in vehicular traffic amid the holiday season.

The government set a December 1 deadline for major tollways in the country to shift to a fully cashless system, in a bid to minimize human interaction and arrest the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

NLEX operates the Easytrip System which covers the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEx), the C5 Southlink, and the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX).

Meanwhile, AutoSweep tags are issued by the San Miguel Group for the Skyway, the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), the STAR Tollway, the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx), the NAIA Expressway (NAIAx), and the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX).

Prior to the December 1 deadline, San Miguel Corp. president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to consider extending the period for tollways to fully shift to cashless payment systems.

Just last week, toll operators agreed to test the interoperability of their RFID systems over a 14-day period, covering 45 vehicles.—AOL, GMA News