Monday, September 10, 2007 Ban of colorum public vehicles in city roads seen By Rimaliza Opiña
IN AN effort to solve the worsening traffic problem in the city, the City Council is set to approve a proposal that will strictly disallow about 1,000 illegally-operating public utility vehicles in using the city roads.
Public utility vehicles (PUV), whose operators were issued franchises prior to the January 1996 moratorium, would be the only ones that would be allowed to operate.
Councilors Richard Cariño and Nicasio Palaganas in their proposed ordinance provide that stickers that are signed by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) director shall be pasted on the windshield and rear part of a PUV as an indication that the vehicle operates legally.
Some 1,000 illegally-operating PUVs used the city roads everyday. Cariño and Palaganas said this contributes to the snail-paced traffic, especially during rush hours, to the inconvenience of the riding public.
A large number of motor vehicles, including PUVs without valid franchises, also contribute to air pollution. Hence, the need to cut down their number and limit this only to those that had valid franchises.
The proposal also includes garage vans.
In collaboration with the City Government, the Office of the Mayor would issue the stickers upon submission of a clearance from the office of the DOTC director that the franchise has been secured in accordance with existing ordinances and memorandum circulars of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
