Tailgating To Save Your Ass
The MMDA car coding scheme in Metro Manila seems to be unique. What used to be color coding is now number coding and depending on the last number of your license plate, you’re not allowed to use your car on a certain day of the week.
To make it more confusing there are so called "window hours" wherein during the day your prohibited, you can still use your car within the allocated hours.
Here’s a quick rundown on the scheme:
Prohibited cars from the road (7am - 7pm):
Monday - cars ending in plates with a 1 & 2
Tuesday - cars ending in plates with a 3 & 4
Wednesday - cars ending in plates with a 5 & 6
Thursday - cars ending in plates with a 7 & 8
Friday - cars ending in plates with a 9 & 0
Window hours are 10am-3pm in which it’s a free-for-all. Anyone can use their car during these hours.
In addition (and in complication), certain cities have chosen to excempt themselves from the window rule. So Mandaluyong, Makati and San Juan are not included.
So here’s my story.
I went out on a thursday (car had a license plate ending in 7 so I could only use it between 10am-3pm)
It was 2pm and I was over at E Rodriguez in Quezon City. I needed to be at Robinsons Galleria by 3pm. I thought of parking the car in Cubao and take the MRT but it would be a far walk to Galleria then. So I thought of using the sidestreets and take an alternate route to Galleria to avoid the highway traffic (enforcers). This is where it went downhill.
From Aurora Blvd, I passed through Gilmore then went straight to Ortigas. Before I realized it, it was too late. I was in unwanted territory. The moment I passed Gilmore on to Ortigas was San Juan. I shocked myself by doing so cause surely I’m gonna get arrested for violating the coding scheme. I immediately pulled over at the nearest parking lot which was a bank parking lot to think and pose as a parked car. I called my friend up and asked for suggestions. I thought of going back where I came from. Problem is that I remember that there was a traffic enforcer in that intersection. It just so happened he didn’t see me the first time I passed by. So my next option was to go down the scary stretch of Ortigas all the way to Galleria and pray I won’t get caught… which was highly unlikely.
So I did the one thing I could think of… tailgate.
I waited for a big SUV to pass by and immediately tailgated behind it, close enough for my license plate to be concealed if we passed by a traffic enforcer. I tailgated all the way till Greenhills and immediately turned where he turned. Unfortunately he made a U turn which exposed my license plate dead center to a traffic officer manning the intersection. I immediately turned left and went in the Greenhills Shopping Center Complex. That was considered a safe area cause traffic enforcers won’t arrest you for strolling or driving within their mall zone.
I planned a new route from there. Half way there, I figured that instead of going back to the main thoroughfare and heavily guarded Ortigas, I’d use the residential and sidestreets to get to EDSA. Take note that this is still San Juan and any chance of me getting caught is still very likely. My worst nightmare that day dawned upon me. Traffic ! Good thing I saw this shiny black Ford Expedition… big enough to cover my entire car. I guess the driver of this Expedition was suspicious of my intentions whether I may be a stalker or lousy driver. I tailgated this car all the way to EDSA and got off the ramp back to Ortigas where I was in Pasig City then. SAFE !!!
I parked the car at Galleria, had my meeting and left around 7pm where the daily coding scheme ends.
That experience was so nerve-racking that I won’t dare try something like that again.
