BACOLOD City – The Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) wants to raise illegal parking fees in a bid to deter motorists from parking their vehicles where they’re not supposed to.
BTAO chief Lieutenant Colonel Luisito Acebuche said he is appealing to members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod if they could discuss the feasibility of hiking the fee from P100 to a higher amount.
The penalty adjustment, according to Acebuche, would instill discipline among motorists and stopping illegal parking which is among the major causes of traffic congestion in the metro.
The BTAO chief noted that since Monday, they have intensified their crackdown against illegally-parked vehicles after the Department of Interior and Local Government issued Memorandum Circular No. 2020-033.
The new memorandum enjoins officials to clear local roads in 75 days under the second round of a campaign that earlier saw the unclogging of primary and secondary streets.
Government units, especially at the village level, should clear local roads of all illegal obstructions starting Feb. 17, and maintain roads already cleared, DILG said in a statement.
The department cited a displacement strategy for those affected by the operations, such as removed vehicles or vendors. There will be a “designation of unused spaces for relocation, and provision of alternative livelihood for vendors./PN
