Makati Street Meet takes over Rada and Leviste Streets

LET’S MEET ON SUNDAY:

As the famous saying goes, “Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week”. Indeed, Sunday is the most suitable day to refresh after a life-sucking week has passed. Be it a day to just let loose and relax, stay at the comforts of your own home OR do the opposite; go out, put on your best sneakers, try something out of the blue, get a taste of new flavors and explore places. What’s good? You don’t have to look far and wide just to experience this ’cause Makati offers this kind of thingamajig.

The Ayala Land Estates, Inc., in collaboration with Mercato Centrale has launched a Makati Street Meet around the year 2019. The said street meet happens at Rada and Leviste streets every Sunday. Unfortunately, due to the global health crisis and the on-going spread of COVID-19, street meets had to be suspended. Then came the introduction to the public of Al fresco dining, in order to help out the F&B community of Makati. Establishments are featured and services were upgraded, giving off a posh dining vibe. Following strictly the IATF safety protocols, the event has been a go-to for many during Sundays, perfect for spending time with loved-ones.

Ensuring Health and Safety for the community

This year has brimming with challenges, but our communities continue to weave through with life. Together with the administration and the people of Brgy. Bel-Air, MaCEA has donated and distributed vaccines for both Pneumonia and the Flu for the people and communities in Salcedo Village. Medical professionals and volunteers conducted the inoculation of the vaccines.

In prevention to the increase of COVID-19 cases, Rapid testing was conducted at the Corinthian Carpark in Barangay San Lorenzo around May 2020. Workers have lined up following the safety protocols as mandated by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Health check-ups were also conducted for MACEA frontliners to ensure their safety.

NATURE ON WALLS: The New Wall Mural and Elevated Walkway

PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc, together with the Makati Commercial Estate Association (MaCEA), with the support of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, had expanded the PLDT-Smart Gabay Kalikasan Street Mural by the “artivist”, AG Saño.

“The general state of the environment did not improve in 2020. Wildlife population is still diminishing. As environmental street artists, we want to keep on creating images of nature to keep nature’s beauty in the consciousness of the daily urban pedestrian,” said Saño.

The street mural, concentrating on nature, was created to raise awareness on climate change. MaCEA continuously aims for the constant transformation and reinvention of the city, with the environment as its key center. In order to execute these goals, Makati’s civic body has made the central business district pedestrian-friendly and well-connected. The transformation of the neighborhood into an art center will pave way to an extraordinary and vibrant sight in the midst of a business district.

Furthermore, PLDT Group actively ensures that it uses energy responsibly as they are considered the country’s largest integrated telecommunications company with energy as a necessary resource to deliver their services. The group also aims to protect the planet through technology-based carbon footprint offsetting programs due to greenhouse gas emissions arising from energy consumed by its network in operation, establishments and transport. Including in the initiative are the reforestation, marine protection, mangroves preservation, and peatlands conservation that leverage on digital innovations and PLDT-Smart’s network.

The pillars that make up the company’s Sustainability Framework are the Effective Environmental Stewardship, which Gabay Kalikasan represents, Awesome Customer Experience, Quality of Service, Growth-driven Innovation, Responsible and Efficient Operations, Excellence through Human Capital, Positive Community Impact and Good Governance & Ethical Business Practices

Not only active in maintaining the integrity of the section, as the most desirable business and commercial area in the Philippines, but also in raising environmental awareness, MaCEA, indeed, gets the job done.

GRAVEL AND STONES: Asphalting Works at Salcedo Village

A part of the overall improvements within Makati is the planned asphalting at Salcedo Village. This project will cover the streets of V.A Rufino, Carlos Palanca, Bautista, Amorsolo, H.V. Dela Costa, the Amorsolo Street along Ayala Avenue to Dela Rosa, Tordesillas, Toledo, Jaime Velasquez, and Legazpi along Dela Rosa West to Paseo de Roxas

Included in the said project are activities of scraping, overlaying, and the restoration of the traffic marking. Asphalt scraping and overlay work will be implemented along Toledo and Jaime Velasquez Street.

Nevertheless, all the roadways will still remain passable to all vehicles, therefore, the re-routing of traffic will not be implemented.

A GOOD WAY TO PARK: The New Legazpi Car Park Building

Let’s face it, a parking lot have always been an issue anywhere especially in big cities. We have so many vehicles, yet too few of those slots. It’s a headache we are all very familiar with. The most common scenario? You have to wait at least 10 to 20 minutes until someone finally decides to leave so you can have that parking space. On the bright side, that will teach you, “patience is a virtue”, right? But, then again, not everyone has that silver-lining-kind of attitude. Aside from that, most importantly is that safety is also at risk.

So, here’s a good way to park: a 5-storey Legazpi Parking Building, with 603 parking slots, located at the district. Construction of the said building commenced last June 2019 and is expected to be completed by May 2021. To continue with the nature-friendly theme, this park-and-walk facility will feature sidewalks lined with trees. MACEA has also fit into the facility two restrooms and a terminal to occupy the ground level.

THE DONT’S: Campaign Against Illegal Parking and Counterflowing

In line with the overall improvement within Makati, campaigns against illegal parking and counterflowing have been initiated. The Sangguniang Panlungsod of the city of Makati approved the City Ordinance No. 2017-026, entitled; An Ordinance Prescribing Additional Traffic Rules And Regulations For The City of Makati, Metro Manila, Suppletory To City Ordinance No. 2003-089, Otherwise Known As The Makati Traffic Code, Subject to Existing Laws, Rules And Regulations.

No parking zone is implemented on the streets of Dela Rosa, Tordesillas, Leviste, Salcedo, Legazpi and Valero. The loading and unloading area is moved to Tordesillas Street. As for the delivery drivers, they are prohibited to park and wait on the streets marked as redzone. However, there is a designated free parking area for them, keeping in mind the allowed minutes of parking which is 15 to 30 minutes, at the streets of Valero and Dela Rosa 1 & 2. Additional traffic lights at the intersections of Kalayaan Avenue, Pablo Ocampo Street and Metropolitan Avenue Street have also been installed to improve travel times and ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians.

In conclusion, violations against the regulations of the ordinance implemented will face penalties according to the severity and type of violation.

Fines are stated below:

Counterflow: Php 2,000.00

Illegal Parking / Waiting: Php 500.00 to Php 3,000.00

Regular sanitation at Salcedo Village

As part of the community’s COVID response, safety precautions have been implemented within the MaCEA vicinity. This includes a regular sanitation for the premises done every Thursday of the week and happens from 9am to 11am.

Additionally, guards are on roving duty 24-hours to ensure the safety of the people within the area. In case of emergencies or instances that need immediate attention, contact the MaCEA hotline at 0917 111 1548.

Infrastructure Improvements continue amid pandemic

In partnership with Green Antz, MaCEA has implemented sidewalk enhancement projects along Arnaiz avenue and H.V. dela Costa Street. The project has been undergoing since June, 2020, and is expected to be finished by the end of November of the same year.

It makes use Eco-bricks, the flagship product of Green Antz; a building product akin to concrete hollow blocks made from a mixture of wet cement and shredded plastic laminates, but are comprehensively more durable in terms of tensile strength compared to the latter. The project saves up to 800 plastic sachets per square meter, with a total linear length of almost 2,000 meters and a total area of 5,400 square meters.

 

SIDEWALK ENHANCEMENTS

Along Arnaiz avenue and H.V. dela costa

 

NEW PEDESTRIAN UNDERPASS

At Villar Street along Paseo de Roxas

A new pedestrian underpass is being constructed along Villar Street that will open up to the Ayala Triangle Gardens. With a launch date soon to be announced, the 70-meter long tunnel aims to minimize pedestrian traffic along Paseo De Roxas avenue.

The project started back in March of 2018, and has a target completion date of June, 2021. Currently, installation of mechanical ducts along the main tunnel are ongoing, as well as the construction of concrete manholes, with more accomplishment expected to be done soon.

 

LEGAZPI PARKING BUILDING

 

A new 6-level parking structure is being constructed in Legazpi Street. Construction has started since March of 2019, and is on-going until January, 2021, and is expected to be operational by the following month of the same year.

Once finished, it will accommodate almost 500 vehicles and is open for the public to use.

 

UNDERGROUND CONDUIT NETWORK

 

Although the current pandemic situation may be a hindrance to some aspects of life, MaCEA strives to remain connected. In an effort to improve its network facilities, MaCEA is building a new 25.1km-long underground conduit serving fiber which will better serve the data processing capabilities of the institutions around Makati.

With a targeted construction span of 3 years, beginning in January of this year, it is expected to be finished in the early months of 2022. However, construction works have been delayed due to the lockdowns and quarantine, in line with the current COVID pandemic. But despite this delay, 4 kilometers of fiber has already been laid out under Rufino St., completing almost 16% of the whole length of the project.

Citizens and the community around the affected areas of the construction are advised to expect and may experience inconvenience during construction hours.

Bike Lanes at Ayala Avenue

November 2020

 

#LetsBikeMakati, an aptly coined hashtag for an aptly thought project. Recognizing the need for alternative ways to commute during the current pandemic, MaCEA, together with Ayala Land and Make it Makati, has launched a project as a means of providing a safe space for cyclist employees who have no other means of transportation aside from bicycles. Moreover, the #LetsBikeMakati project also hopes to advocate for an environmental-friendly alternative mode of transportation, as well as further improving the pedestrian mobility of the citizens around Makati.

Cyclists may have a pleasant time using the bike lanes installed along the whole stretch of Ayala Avenue— spanning from Epifanio Delos Santos Ave. to Gil Puyat Ave.— and vice versa. For the convenience of cyclists and motorists alike, the 3-meter-wide bike lanes are located on the outermost lane on both sides of Ayala Ave. However, only 2-wheeler Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs), such as non-motorized bicycles and scooters, are allowed to use the bike lanes. Motorcycles and 3-wheeled vehicles are prohibited— vehicles caught using the allotted bike lanes will be apprehended and warned by traffic enforcers. Additionally, buses and PUVs will have their dedicated areas moved to the second lanes of the road, but will retain their designated stops.

Special markings are put on the bike lanes to indicate that only bicycles may use them, as well as special “bike boxes” that will be kept clear of stopped vehicles placed in front of intersections. Cyclists may use these boxes to move from the rightmost bike lane to the leftmost lane which will also allow them to turn left once signalled by the traffic lights. In light of this, to ensure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists are not allowed from using the sidewalk except for parking after dismounting.

Parking racks are also provided and are located at the Ayala Triangle Gardens, Jaime Velasquez Park, Washington Sycip Park, and Legazpi Active Park.

As part of the first phase of the trial run, a portion of the project was installed on August 17 of this year, at the eastbound side of Ayala Avenue spanning the whole block of Paseo-Rufino. The bike lane project has been completed and was already launched on September 7. The trial run has been ongoing since then and additional locations for the bike lanes will depend upon evaluation of the results of the said trial.