TIM eMagazine Vol.2 Issue 3
Full utilization of Roxas
Boulevard service roads
to improve supply chain
Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI Senior Vice President
and Head of Asia Pacific Region
T
he move of the Metro Manila Development
Authority (MMDA) to fully utilize the Roxas
Boulevard service roads for moving vehicles
and clear it of road obstruction will benefit
businesses, especially improving the supply
chain.
MMDA´s recent clearing operations in Roxas´
service roads has gained private sector support
with port operator International Container Terminal Services,
Inc. (ICTSI), representing stakeholders of the Port of Manila,
saying that a wider Roxas Boulevard will significantly improve
the movement of goods.
“We welcome MMDA’s move to optimize the service roads
of Roxas Boulevard for the use of moving vehicles, and to
improve the flow of traffic in one of Metro Manila’s busiest
thoroughfares by discontinuing its use for vehicle parking,”
says Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI Senior Vice President and
Head of Asia Pacific Region.
“This would also allow container trucks to travel at a faster
pace in Roxas’ TABS lane, improving the flow of hinterland
trade south of Metro Manila, in and out of the Port,” he adds.
The TABS lane, exclusively designated for container
trucks with TABS booking, covers a long stretch of Roxas
Boulevard leading to South Harbor and ICTSI’s flagship Manila
International Container Terminal (MICT) via Bonifacio Drive
and Delpan.
TABS or the Terminal Appointment Booking System is an
MMDA-endorsed, online scheduling system that manages
truck movement over a period of 24 hours in and out of the
Port of Manila.
“Aside from improving flow of trade and easing the traffic in
Metro Manila roads, TABS works side by side with the MMDA’s
move to clear the Roxas service roads of parked vehicles and
other obstructions,” says Mr. Gonzalez.
“All of these redound to faster movement of people and
goods, resulting in improved economic activity,” he adds.
Launched in 2015, TABS facilitated a more organized flow
of containerized cargo, which resulted in a more efficient
and productive supply chain. Container trucks without TABS
appointments are subject to the truck ban and are restricted
from entering the terminal.
Aside from helping ease the burden of the commuting
public, TABS also paved the way for MICT to operate more
efficiently by improving yard utilization and reducing both
vessel and truck dwell times.
TABS is a partnership of ICTSI, South Harbor operator
Asian Terminals Inc., and the city government of Manila, and
engaged all port users and supply chain stakeholders in the
Port of Manila. Developed by Australia’s 1-Stop Connections
Pty. Ltd., a similar system has also been implemented at ICTSI’s
recently opened Victoria International Container Terminal in
Melbourne.
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