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| Home > City Guide - Manila - Getting There By Road | ||
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Getting There By Road Road: Driving in Manila is not for the faint-hearted, as there is a fairly opportunistic attitude. In theory, the Filipinos drive on the right and the legal driving age is 18 years. The national roads (expressways), smaller main roads (highways) and smaller streets or alternate roads are all signposted in English. The national speed limit on expressways is 80kph (50mph), falling to 40kph (25mph) in built-up areas of central Manila. There are drink-driving laws but these are not strictly adhered to. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.10%, approximately equivalent to six bottles of beer. If stopped by the police, the fine is P2000 or three to six days in jail and the obligatory attendance at a seminar on the dangers of drink driving. The general rule is that drivers give way to buses at all times. The safest lane is the outside lane, although drivers will overtake on the inside or on the hard shoulder if there is a gap in the traffic. Care should be taken when driving at night, especially as many cyclists and even truck drivers may not use lights. Accidents are marked by burning oilcans placed in the road. Foreign and international driving licences are valid for 90 days from arrival in the country but it is unlikely that one will be asked for your licence once the vehicle is hired. No other documentation is needed apart from your passport. The Philippine Motor Association, 683 Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City (tel: (02) 723 0808/18), operates a 24-hour emergency breakdown and towing service within Metro Manila. This is free to members. Emergency breakdown service Philippine Motor Association 723 0808/18 Routes to the city: The main ring road around Manila is called Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) and runs from near the airport to Caloocan City, in the north of Metro Manila. Another main highway that runs into central Manila from the airport is the President Osmena Highway, joining President Quirino road, which continues into Malate. Roxas Boulevard runs along the west coast from Paranaque. It becomes Bonifacio Drive and meets C M Recto – another main road running from San Nicolas inland towards the Pasig River in San Miguel. Manila is situated in a narrow area of central Luzon and roads to the city head from either north or south. The South Expressway leads into southern Manila from Batangas, San Pablo and Legaspi in southern Luzon, while the North Expressway leads north out of Manila to San Fernando and Baguio. Approximate driving times to Manila: From San Fernando – 1 hour; Batangas – 2 hours; San Pablo – 2 hours; Baguio – 4 hours; Legaspi – 12 hours. Coach services: A popular form of transport to and from the provinces, coach transport nevertheless tends toward a masochistic kind of ‘educational’ travel experience. BLTB – Batangas, Laguna, Tayabas Bus Co. (tel: (02) 833 5501), Philtranco (tel: (02) 832 2456) and Victory Liner (tel: 833 0293) are all important companies. Philtranco operates a service south to Legaspi, Sorosogon, Davoa on Mindanao Island and Tacloban on Leyte. Victory Liner operates services north to Baguio, Alaminos, Tuguegarao, Olonaop, Iba and Dagupan. There is no central bus terminal in Manila and bus companies maintain their own locations around the city – both Philtranco and Victory Liner have terminals in Pasay City. |
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