• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department (BTTMD) and other concerned agencies should strictly enforce the traffic ordinance prohibiting parking on sidewalks and roadsides of public roads across the highly-urbanized city, the Sangguniang Panlungsod said.
Sidewalks are meant for pedestrians, and vehicles parked on sidewalks and roadsides force pedestrians, including children, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities, to walk on the roadway, narrow the lanes available to moving vehicles, block driveways, crosswalks, and access for emergency vehicles, and cause or worsen traffic congestion, Councilor Em Ang said in her resolution approved by the SP.
She said that despite several related ordinances and regulations against illegal parking, it remains a common sight, hence the need for sustained, consistent, and uniform enforcement.
There is need for a regular monitoring and apprehension of vehicles parked on sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks, in front of driveways, near intersections, fire hydrants, hospitals, and fire stations, on bicycle lanes, and in other prohibited areas, Ang stressed.
“Sustained operations must be conducted in areas with the heaviest congestion and the most complaints, such as the Lacson Street strip, the public plaza area, public markets, schools, hospitals, and transport terminals, particularly during peak hours, festivals, and the holiday season,” she added.
The SP also urged the City Engineering Office to install and maintain road markings, signage, and, where appropriate, physical barriers, as well as repair and keep sidewalks free of obstruction.
The Liga ng mga Barangay and all punong barangays of Bacolod should cooperate with the enforcing offices, to mobilize tanods to ensure that barangay roads and sidewalks are free from illegal parking, and to report chronic obstruction in their respective areas, it added.
The BTTMD logged more than 9,000 traffic violations in the first six months of this year, with obstruction of roads as the leading violation, Ang said, adding that per records, more than 2,000 vehicles and tricycles were issued citation tickets for obstructing roads or parking in non-designated areas, 534 vehicles were towed, and 195 were clamped. | CGC
