BAGUIO CITY – The city’s Traffic and Transportation Management Committee (TTMC) approved the creation of an anti-obstruction task force that will have the primary function of clearing all national and local roads from obstructions to pave the way for convenient travel among the motoring and commuting public.
The agreement was reached by the TTMC members during their recent meeting after the committee was bombarded with complaints of obstructions along national and local roads that contribute to the worsening traffic congestions around the city.
“We have patiently appealed to our motorists to make sure that they have available parking spaces for their motor vehicles but it seems our appeal has fallen on deaf ears that is why they have to deal with the members of the task force who will go around the city to clear the streets from obstructions regularly,” Domogan stressed.
The anti-obstruction task force will be composed of personnel from the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO), Baguio District Engineering Office, City Engineering Office, Department of Transportation and Communication, Land Transportation Office. who will be empowered to remove the license plates of illegally parked vehicles that obstruct the smooth flow of traffic along national and local roads.
According to him, the public will be informed when the members of the task force will do their rounds to warn vehicle owners not to willfully park their vehicles along roads obstructing the smooth flow of vehicular traffic. Observers note though that it is counterproductive to have a warning before confiscation of license plates are done because illegal parking is clearly a violation that does not need a warning.
The city mayor revealed the members of the task force will be going around the different barangays in order to remind local residents of their obligations to free the streets from obstructions before they will start removing the license plates of illegally parked vehicles in order to compel the vehicle owners to park their vehicles in their neighborhood so that the roads will be free from obstructions, especially at night, to allow emergency responders immediately access to sites of emergency situations.
Earlier, Mayor Domogan called on barangay officials to identify available spaces in their respective areas of jurisdiction which could be used as communal barangay parking area so that residents will not simply park their vehicles along streets.
Domogan expressed disappointment over the failure of motor vehicle owners to cooperate with barangay and city officials in locating spaces that could serve as communal parking areas, saying that there are some vehicle owners who seem to have titles over the portion of the streets in front of their houses as they tend to have signages reserving the said spaces as parking spaces for their vehicles. In this connection, observers would like to suggest for the investigation of such claims so that corrective measures are made to clear such for public use.
He said the members of the task force will always be joined by a responsible law enforcer so that motor vehicles found to cause obstructions on roads will be immediately removed of its license plate and issued the appropriate citation ticket./By Dexter A. See
