Richard Gomez: “It was an opinion and my reklamo at that moment”
RICHARD GOMEZ – The Leyte representative explained his viral post about traffic along EDSA, suggesting that the bus lane be opened during peak congestion.
The actor-turned-politician voiced his frustration on social media after being stuck in heavy traffic on EDSA, Metro Manila’s main thoroughfare. He questioned why the dedicated bus lane on EDSA, which he observed was being used by only a few buses, couldn’t be opened to other vehicles during peak congestion to help alleviate the traffic. Gomez highlighted his experience of being delayed for over two hours while traveling from Makati to Quezon City, prompting his suggestion to open the bus lane to reduce bottlenecks.
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) responded by deferring the issue to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), which oversees the EDSA bus lane. Currently, the lane is reserved for specific vehicles, including on-duty ambulances and certain government officials’ cars, with strict penalties for unauthorized use. Gomez’s remarks have reignited discussions about the effectiveness of the bus lane in addressing the broader traffic challenges in Metro Manila.
In a message he sent to NewsWatch Plus, Richard Gomez explained his post: “It was an opinion and my reklamo at that moment. I don’t use a hagad or a mobile backup for me to go swiftly through traffic. More than that I don’t use the bus lane. I just find it silly that with so much traffic and the lane is not much utilized when it was needed during that time of traffic,” he said.
Meanwhile, the EDSA Bus Lane, also known as the EDSA Carousel, is a dedicated bus lane located along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the main thoroughfare in Metro Manila, Philippines. It was designed to improve public transportation efficiency and reduce traffic congestion on EDSA, one of the busiest roads in the country.