The 24-Hour Odd-Even Scheme Option

I still say the odd-even scheme can be successful if it gets implemented for a full 24 hours and the people tasked to enforce this ensure that it's followed strictly and without exemptions. The 24-hour scheme is particularly crucial because it would mean those affected will have to keep their vehicles off the streets for one whole day.

Just today, at around 6:15 AM, while aboard a shuttle service, I spotted three private cars with the following plate numbers: NDE 339, WON 109, and ACA 5189 and about two others with numbers that I can't recall anymore. All of them are traversing the stretch of EDSA from Kamuning up to where I got off in the Ortigas area.

Today is a Friday and under the odd-even scheme, vehicles ending in 9 and 0, at least starting at around 7AM, are not supposed to be out on the streets. While the vehicles mentioned are still technically not covered yet by the scheme owing to the time involved, they're bound to be covered eventually as traffic in the area is already heavy. Chances are good that at 7AM or thereabouts, they'll still be in EDSA.

But hey, the good news is that if these vehicles ever get flagged down by a traffic enforcer, they can always say that they're already on EDSA before 7AM and just got caught in heavy traffic. That, of course, is a valid excuse but it's also a safe way to run rings around the law.

Now, imagine if the odd-even scheme is enforced for a full 24 hours; then these car owners will have no excuse to hold on to if a traffic enforcer asks them to pull over.

Then there are the private vehicles that are allowed to travel along major thoroughfares without their plate numbers. Today, at around the same time and along the same route, two private vehicles caught my attention because their back ends were blank. That's right; no plate numbers whatsoever. One is a white L300 and the other is a brand-new black Toyota WIGO.

As I said before in an earlier post, these vehicles should wait until they get hold of their official plate numbers before taking to the streets. Otherwise, they'll just add to the continuously worsening traffic situation in the Metro.

It's just too bad I didn't have my phone with me at the time; if I did, the needed pictures should have accompanied this post.

Hey, MMDA, HPG, LTO, are you reading this? Sadly, I think not.Actually, it' pains me to think that no one hardly follows this blog.