NCR malls asked to adjust opening time to 11 a.m. starting Nov. 18 til Dec. 25

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday asked malls in the National Capital Region (NCR) to open at 11 a.m. from November 18 to December 25 in light of the expected heavier traffic during the Christmas season.

At a press conference, MMDA chairperson Romando Artes said the closing time will depend on the discretion of mall owners.

“Depende na po sa mall owners. Pero we encourage them to extend sana para yung mga gustong magpalipas pong traffic ay may magpa-stay-an pa and then makagawa sila like grocery, last-minute shopping,” Artes said.

(The closing time depends on the mall owners. But we encourage them to extend so that those who want to bypass the traffic can stay longer and then they can do things like grocery, last-minute shopping," Artes said.

Artes made the statement following a meeting with representatives of Metro Manila malls. According to him, the management of malls responded positively to the adjusted opening time.

There are 131 malls in NCR and 29 of them are located along EDSA, according to Artes.

The MMDA chief said around 421,000 vehicles pass EDSA per day. The average travel speed along EDSA is estimated at 19.95 kilometers per hour for northbound and 18.13 kilometers per hour for southbound

“So bumagal rin kasi dati nasa 20 to 21 [kilometers per hour] yan e (So it has also slowed down because before it was around 20 to 21 kilometers per hour),” he added.

The MMDA also asked mall owners to offer mall-wide sales only before November 18 to prevent heavy traffic.

To ease the problem, Artes said the MMDA will coordinate with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to expand the operations of bus carousel and train systems to accommodate more passengers. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News