San Miguel Corporation (SMC) announced that starting July 12, the 18-kilometer Skyway Stage 3 will be a ‘no truck zone’ and will be dedicated to Class 1 vehicles with Autosweep RFID stickers.
In a statement released on Wednesday, SMC president Ramon S. Ang said that the move would address safety concerns on the elevated expressway and at the same time further limit the spread of COVID-19 since majority of motorists traversing the expressway have migrated to the Autosweep RFID.
“We continue to look for ways to improve safety and user experience on our expressways, especially the new Skyway 3. We have implemented a number of measures to ensure safety, prevent over-speeding, and facilitate the more efficient flow of vehicles while still providing motorists significantly reduced travel times,” Ang said.
“Limiting Skyway 3 to regular or Class 1 vehicles will also further ensure safety for all users. With more private vehicles diverted to Skyway 3, our public roads will be freed up and decongested. This will benefit, number one, our public transportation and commuters. It will also be beneficial to transporters of goods, who can opt to use the at-grade sections of the Skyway system where tolls are lower, as well as public roads which are free, as they are subsidized by government,” he added.
On Tuesday, SMC announced that it will start collecting toll fees along the elevated expressway beginning next week. The company noted that it will use a revised toll fee matrix that is lower than the original proposed toll fees.
SMC made the announcement following the issuance of a Toll Operating Permit and a Notice to Start Collecting Toll by the Toll Regulatory Board on Skyway Stage 3. SMC said that it will post the final approved toll rates at the toll plazas prior to the start of toll collection.