Temporary reprieve from traffic hell

Being central to the transportation grid despite the presence of several arterial roads like C3 and C5, EDSA still bears the brunt of traffic due to its location and for being the access to many business centers: Makati CBD, Pasig, Greenhills, Cubao, the Quezon City business district including several malls as well as the access to South and North Expressways.

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The impending rehabilitation of Epifanio de Los Santos Avenue (EDSA) is triggering fears, speculations and gloom all over the metropolis. This vital artery will be partially closed to vehicles for two years, maybe more if there are delays. Thankfully, the President has just suspended its repair.

The internet is rife with speculations and memes about this foreboding event, including one that is being shared among medical chat groups that goes:

“To all patients, starting June 1, doctor’s rounds will no longer be everyday, it will be on an ODD-EVEN schedule. (Tiis-tiis lang po.)”

We can all have a good laugh about this but it surely sounds like nervous laughter for many doctors, who are anxiously waiting for definitive pronouncements on what can or can’t be driven on EDSA in the next two years. Are doctors going to be exempt from the ban or not? The latest is that doctors who have emergency cases to attend to will be exempt, but how do we prove that is the case?