ILOILO City – There is no dearth of national laws and local ordinances regulating traffic. The pandemonium on the city’s streets, the congestion and accidents here are mostly caused by undisciplined drivers and pedestrians not following traffic rules and regulations, according to the city government.
City hall is thus implementing this month a new scheme aimed at disciplining drivers and pedestrians, although narrow in scope for the time being.
The 14-kilometer Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue (Diversion Road) in Mandurriao district will be made a “Traffic Discipline Zone”, according to the city government’s Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) head Jeck Conlu.
All traffic rules and regulations (national and local) will be strictly enforced on the avenue round the clock.
“Gusto ni Mayor (Jerry) Treñas ma-start na kita this January,” said Conlu.
The Philippine National Police (PNP), Highway Patrol Group (HPG) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) will be helping the PSTMO enforce this new scheme.
Conlu said law enforcers wound be armed with, among others, breath analyzers to catch those driving while under the influence of alcohol and speed guns to catch drivers who are exceeding the speed limit.
In the first few days or weeks, however, the PSTMO and its partners would focus more on information dissemination on the Traffic Discipline Zone scheme. There will be no apprehensions but traffic laws and regulations would be strictly enforced, stressed Conlu.
“Ang wala gatabok sa pedestrianlane…tudloan man naton kon diin dapat insakto magsakay,” he said.
After the Diversion Road, next to be made a “traffic discipline zone” is McArthur Drive from Barangay Tabuc Suba, Jaro district to Barangay Balantang.
“I want this scheme initially tried on the Diversion Road para mapakita nga pwede maobra ini,” said Treñas.
Like the Diversion Road, McArthur Drive is also “problemado pirmi sa traffic because of lack of discipline,” he explained.
What are the traffic rules and regulations to be fully imposed?
Conlu said these included the speed limit ordinance, the ordinance against modified mufflers, points where to load and unload passengers, the law on the use of helmets and other body protective gears by motorcycle riders and the maximum number of back riders allowed, the law on the use of seatbelts, the law on the non-use of cellphones while driving and clearing of windshields from gadgets that directly distract the driver’s line of sight, among others.
Treñas also said giant telecommunications company Philippine Long Distance Telephone offered to establish a traffic command center with closed circuit television cameras on the Diversion Road for the monitoring of vehicles.
The mayor previously said he would push through with the intelligent traffic system (ITS) that former mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog proposed in 2017.
An ITS involves the use of closed-circuit television cameras capable of determining the speed of vehicles (if they are overspeeding) and of recording them. It would also entail the establishment of a command/monitoring center.
Mabilog thought of having an ITS for the city to address traffic congestion, stop illegal parking and curb reckless driving that mostly result to vehicular accidents.
He said an ITS would discourage drivers from disregarding traffic rules and regulations, and it would also help law enforcers to easily identify and catch violators.
In January 2017 Mabilog formed a technical working group and the city government allotted P25 million for the system.
But in October 2017 Mabilog was dismissed from the service by the Office of the Ombudsman for unexplained wealth. Then vice mayor Espinosa who assumed Mabilog’s post put the project on hold.
Going ahead with the ITS without a comprehensive study on the city’s traffic situation would not be an intelligent move, explained Espinosa.
It was unclear, though, if Espinosa ordered a comprehensive study right after suspending his predecessor’s project.
As proposed by Mabilog, the first phase of the ITS would be on the Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue because this highway is prone to vehicular accidents due to overspeeding drivers.
Phase II would be on the coastal road, Phase III on the McArthur Highway Drive going to the municipality of Leganes, Iloilo and Phase IV on the Circumferential Road going to Oton, Iloilo./PN
