“Hellish” is a word often associated with Metro Manila’s traffic condition. To be fair, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) hasn’t fallen short in its effort to mitigate traffic conditions all over the Metro. One of these measures is the Unified Vehicle Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP), otherwise known as the Number Coding Scheme. First implemented in 1995, the UVVRP has been tweaked and modified multiple times into the version that we follow today.

The current UVVRP

The currently implemented UVVRP has a ‘no window hours’ policy in various cities in the Metro in an effort to curb worsening traffic conditions on all major roads. The following bullets illustrate which plate number endings are not allowed to travel in Metro Manila depending on their assigned days.

  • Monday: Plates ending in 1, 2
  • Tuesday: Plates ending in 3, 4
  • Wednesday: Plates ending in 5, 6
  • Thursday: Plates ending in 7, 8
  • Friday: Plates ending in 9, 0

Under the UVVRP, the traffic number coding scheme will be implemented from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm with no window hours in the following cities:

  • Caloocan
  • Las Piñas
  • Makati
  • Malabon
  • Manila
  • Parañaque
  • Pasig
  • Quezon City
  • San Juan
  • Valenzuela
  • Pasay (except MIA Road, Domestic Road, Airport Road, Sales Road, Portions of Buendia)

Meanwhile, no coding schemes will be implemented in the following areas:

  • Navotas
  • Pateros
  • Marikina (except Marcos Highway)
  • Taguig (except C5, East Service Road, Manuel L. Quezon)
  • Muntinlupa (except Alabang-Zapote Road)

All Radial Roads, Circumferential Roads and Major thoroughfares are also subject to the agency’s number coding scheme.

Radial Roads:

  • R1 (Bonifacio Drive to Roxas Boulevard)
  • R2 (Taft Avenue in Manila to Diego Cera Avenue in Las Piñas)
  • R3 (stretch of smeña Highway from the corner of Quirino Avenue to Nichols Interchange)
  • R4 (Pasig Line Street, Kalayaan Avenue, Elizco Road)
  • R5 (V. Mapa Street, P. Sanchez Street, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue Extension)
  • R6 (Legarda Street, Magsaysay Boulevard, Aurora Boulevard, Marcos Highway)
  • R7 (Lerma Avenue, España Boulevard, Elliptical Road, Commonwealth Avenue, Quirino Highway)
  • R8 (Quezon Boulevard, Alfonso Mendoza Street, Dimasalang Street, Bonifacio Avenue up to EDSA-Balintawak Interchange)
  • R9 (Rizal Avenue, MacArthur Highway to Valenzuela-Meycauayan Bridge)
  • R10 (from Anda Circle to C-4 Road in Navotas)

Circumferential Roads:

  • C1 (Recto Avenue, Pedro Casal Street, Ayala Boulevard, Finance Drive, Padre Burgos Avenue)
  • C2 (Capulong Street, Tayuman Street, Lacson Avenue, Quirino Avenue)
  • C3 (C-3 Road Navotas, 5th Avenue, Sergeant E. Rivera Avenue, Gregorio Araneta Avenue, [upcoming] Metro Manila Skybridge, South Avenue, Ayala Avenue Extension, Gil Puyat Avenue)
  • C4 (C-4 Road in Malabon, Paterio Aquino Avenue, Samson Road, EDSA)
  • C5 (Mindanao Avenue Congressional Avenue, Luzon Avenue, Tandang Sora Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, Bonny Serrano Avenue, E. Rodriguez Jr. Carlos P. Garcia Avenue)
  • C6 (from Napindan, Pasig to Lower Bicutan, Taguig)

Other major thoroughfares:

  • Alabang-Zapote Road
  • A. Mabini Street
  • Marcos Highway
  • McArthur Highway
  • East and West NLEX Service Road through Valenzuela

However, automatic exceptions are afforded to the following:

  • Ambulance, firetrucks, police military vehicles
  • Vehicles commandeered by the government for military relief or emergency purposes
  • Vehicles carrying person/s in need of immediate medical attention
  • Diplomatic vehicles with diplomatic plates
  • Government vehicles with government plates or appropriate LTO stickers with permanent markings
  • MMDA accredited tow trucks with accreditation papers
  • Vehicles carrying relief goods
  • Motorcycles with prescribed motorcycle helmets
  • Official and marked media vehicles

The following vehicle types may also apply for exemption subject to evaluation and approval:

  • School buses and company shuttle service vehicles
  • Unmarked vehicles of media practitioners
  • Emergency care doctors
  • Persons with disabilities
  • Vehicles for perishable goods
  • Department of Tourism accredited tourism vehicles