• CHERYL G. CRUZ
A consultative meeting on the rules and regulations governing electric tricycles and bicycles plying the streets of Bacolod, will be held March 1 at the City Government Center lobby.
This activity will be attended by stakeholders, including the barangays, with the aim to fully understand and be updated with the government’s policies regarding e-trikes and bicycles, Mayor Alfredo Benitez said.
Benitez also invited members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod to the meeting.
Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos earlier issued DILG Memorandum Circular (MC) 2023-195, or the reinforcement of the prohibition on tricycles, pedicabs, and motorized pedicabs on national highways.
Abalos urged all local chief executives to reorganize or re-convene their Tricycle Task Force (TTF) to update the Tricycle Route Plan (TRP) that would include penal provisions for violators.
The TRP must contain the schematic map of the tricycle routes; installation of visible and appropriate signages, marks for lanes, and other safety measures to guide and protect all vehicles; and penalties to be imposed on violators, among others.
He said that tricycles, pedicabs, and motorized pedicabs play a significant role in providing affordable and accessible modes of transportation, especially in areas where larger vehicles may not be practical or available. It has also been a good source of livelihood and income for thousands of Filipinos.
“However, the continued reports of tricycles and pedicabs operating on national highways, as well as of accidents involving these modes of transportation along national highways, remain a major concern of the government,” the MC said.
Bacolod City Ordinance 185, series of 1997, regulates the operation of tricycles and the grant of franchise, or motorized tricycle operator’s permit (MTOP), for their operation within the territorial jurisdiction of Bacolod.
But there is yet no local law on the operation of e-bikes or e-trikes in the city.
Under CO 1003-2022, there are 5,610 tricycles-for-hire with existing franchise, comprising of 76 tricycle operators and drivers’ associations (TODAs), although the number could be higher if the colorum units are included. | CGC
