(GMA News) The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will first lift the suspension of the truck ban before lifting the suspension of the number coding scheme when the traffic situation worsened.

According to Emil Sumangil’s report on “24 Oras”, MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos said traffic congestion in the National Capital Region had yet to reach pre-pandemic levels.

“In the event lumala talaga traffic, uunahin muna namin ‘yung truck ban kasi ang truck ban suspended hanggang ngayon,” Abalos said on Super Radyo dzBB.

(In the even the traffic worsens, we will prioritize the truck ban, because the truck ban is suspended up until now.)

According to MMDA’s monitoring, the vehicles traversing EDSA this October already reached 398,000, which is 7,000 short of 405,000, the average number of vehicles during the pre-pandemic.

The MMDA acknowledged the increase in the number of vehicles in NCR’s roads. However, it still does not affect the traffic flow in parts of Metro Manila.

“Talagang dumami, talagang masyadong natuwa, natuwa ang lahat naglabasan. Medyo malayo pa naman sa pre-pandemic, which was 11 km/h. Ngayon ay 23km/h from Roxas Boulevard to Monumento,” Abalos said.