Toll operator to implement NLEX traffic measures

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NLEX Karuhatan Toll Plaza in Valenzuela City. photo from NLEX Corp.
  • NLEX Corp. will implement several measures to resolve heavy traffic at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) interchanges related to implementation of mandatory cashless toll collection
  • The toll operator’s business permit has been suspended by the Valenzuela city government over the ‘monstrous’ traffic gridlock at NLEX interchanges in the city
  • The company said it is “accelerating the solutions to make it more convenient for the public to adjust to the new RFID system”
  • The tollways firm will also continue to hold consultations and dialogues with the Valenzuela City mayor to thresh out their issues

NLEX Corporation said it will implement several measures to resolve the heavy traffic at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) interchanges after the city government of Valenzuela suspended the toll operator’s business permit for failing to submit the requested action plan.

“We are reviewing the situation and are doing everything necessary to address the issues,” NLEX Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista said in a statement.

He said these measures include “amicable and cooperative initiatives between the tollway company and the City of Valenzuela.”

The tollway company acknowledged that the implementation of mandatory cashless toll collection on December 1 has led to birth pains and technical problems.

“These glitches that are occurring at the toll booths are simply a result of some adjustments that should be expected because the RFID [radio frequency identification] implementation took effect only eight days ago,” Bautista said.

He earlier told motorists the company was “working to eliminate the inconvenience caused to our customers by the new compulsory tollway cashless transaction system using RFID that is required by the Department Order of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).”

Valenzuela City mayor Rex Gatchalian on December 7 personally served to the company Executive Order (EO) No. 2020-324 suspending its business permit after the toll operator failed to meet the 5 p.m. deadline to submit an action plan for the heavy traffic.

READ: Valenzuela suspends NLEX operator’s permit over ‘abysmal’ RFID system

While NLEX Corp.’s business operation is suspended, motorists can still pass through the NLEX interchanges in Valenzuela city without the need to pay the toll fee.

The order said “the abysmal state of NLEX Corporation’s RFID system contributes to the chaos and exacerbates the traffic situation in the city,” which already experiences heavier volume of vehicles on the road what with the holiday rush and the lifting of the truck ban and number coding scheme.

Gatchalian earlier wrote to NLEX demanding an action plan on the heavy traffic at NLEX interchanges generated by the implementation of the mandatory cashless transaction.

NLEX responded in a letter dated December 5, but Gatchalian, in a December 7 response letter to Bautista, said the city government found the toll company’s answer to be “unsatisfactory, wanting, and [it] fell short of concrete action plans, solutions, and fixes.”

Gatchalian also denied NLEX Corp.’s request for a 15-day extension to respond to the concerns raised by the city government.

The Valenzuela City mayor said the “monstrous traffic jam caused by the technical glitches in your RFID system is already taking its toll on the economic, mental, and general well-being of our citizens.”

NLEX Corp. assured stakeholders their concerns raised on various mass and social media channels are being heard and being given top priority.

The company said it is “accelerating the solutions to make it more convenient for the public to adjust to the new RFID system.”

Bautista said the tollways firm will also continue to pursue a series of consultations and dialogues with Gatchalian, who earlier clarified that the suspension is temporary until the toll operator submits an action plan and complies with the city government’s demands.

The use of RFID stickers for cashless transaction starting December 1 on all Luzon expressways was ordered by DOTr and Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) as part of their toll collection interoperability project launched in 2017.

READ: Mandatory cashless toll collection on Luzon expressways starts Dec 1

The program, however, started to cause heavy traffic at toll plazas even prior to December 1 with motorists scrambling to get their RFID stickers before the deadline.

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang earlier requested DOTr to move the implementation of cashless collection to February 2021 to give motorists more time to secure their RFID stickers. SMC also operates expressways in Luzon.

SMC said that as of December 1, many motorists have still not secured their RFID stickers as seen from the continuous high volume of applications at installations sites.

DOTr, for its part, said no apprehensions would be made until January 11, and that the tollways may practice leniency toward motorists with no RFID stickers.