MMDA Bans Street Parking on Major Roads

If you’re still using EDSA or Roxas Boulevard as your personal parking lot, it’s over. Metro Manila mayors just approved a full-on ban on street parking along national primary roads, and it will kick in right before the Christmas rush.

The MMDA says the goal is simple: remove parked cars that hog lanes and worsen gridlock, especially during December when traffic already feels like a never-ending car park.

Also read: Study Says Metro Manila Has 3rd Worst Traffic in Southeast Asia

Local governments are now required to pass or amend their ordinances to match this new rule. The regulation also gives cities the option to allow parking on national secondary roads, but only outside rush hours. That means no street parking from 7:00 to 10:00 in the morning and from 5:00 to 8:00 in the evening.

PUV terminals are also banned on these national primary and secondary roads. Each LGU will have to identify new spots for jeeps, UVs, and buses. Emergency vehicles, stalled cars, and other authorised vehicles are exempted from the ban.

Violators will be penalised under the 2023 Metro Manila Traffic Code, with MMDA’s Swift Traffic Action Group in charge of enforcement, complete with body cams.

Also read: Planning a Road Trip? Here's How to Check for Traffic Violations Online

Image credit: MMDA Facebook Page

• C1: CM Recto Avenue (from Roxas Boulevard to Legarda St.)

• C2: Pres. Quirino Ave. (from Roxas Blvd. to R10)

• C3: Araneta Ave. (N. Domingo to R10)

• C4: EDSA (from Monumento Circle to Macapagal Ave.)

• C5: Katipunan/CP Garcia (Commonwealth Ave. to South Super Highway)

• C6: Southeast Metro Manila Expressway

• R1: Roxas Blvd. (P. Burgos to NAIA Road)

• R2: Taft Ave. (from Lawton to Redemptorist)

• R3: Osmeña Highway or South Super Highway (from Quirino Avenue to Nichols Interchange)

• R4: JP Rizal (from the intersection of Pedro Gil Tejeron, Manila City to P. Zamora, Taguig City)

• R5: Ortigas Ave. (from Santolan to Imelda Ave.)

• R6: Marcos Highway/Magsaysay Blvd./Aurora Blvd. (from Legarda St. Ramon Magsaysay to C5 Katipunan)

• R7: España Blvd./Quezon Ave./Commonwealth Ave. (from Carlos Palanca to Quezon Ave. to Commonwealth Ave. to Mindanao Ave.)

• R8: A. Bonifacio Ave. (from Blumentritt to EDSA Balintawak)

• R9: Rizal Ave./McArthur Highway (from Carriedo to Monumento, Caloocan City)

• R10: Delpan, 2nd St. to Navotas Terminal

• Bonifacio Drive, P. Burgos St. to 2nd St.

• Elliptical Road

• Mindanao Ave.

• Marcos Highway

• Dr. A. Santos Ave. (Sucat Road)

• Ninoy Aquino Ave.

• Shaw Blvd.

• Boni Ave.

• Alabang-Zapote Rd.

That is the full scope of the ban. And yes, it reads like a who’s who of Metro Manila’s worst choke points.

Also read: BREAKING: Manila is the 10th Most Stressful City in the World

This move is meant to give back road space to actual moving traffic, not to cars parked for hours. It will not magically solve Metro Manila’s traffic mess, but it does remove one obvious obstacle. For drivers, it is a clear signal to stop treating public highways as personal garages. For commuters, it is at least one step toward a slightly less miserable holiday ride.

As Christmas approaches, the question is simple: will this ban finally make travel in Metro Manila a bit more bearable, or will it just be another rule people learn to dodge?

Featured image credit: MMDA Facebook Page