Saturday, August 16, 2008 MMDA to ban tricycles at Katipunan road
IN A bid to improve traffic situation at Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will begin implementing a total ban on tricycles along the 2.5-kilometer road on Saturday.
MMDA Traffic Enforcement Group (TEG) Chief Bobby Esquivel said hundreds of tricycle operators and drivers are expected to be affected by the move, but "we will have no choice but to abide by the rules considering that such vehicles are not allowed to ply major roads in the first place."
"We started warning them on Friday and we will begin apprehending those who will violate the ban starting Saturday," Esquivel said.
He said drivers who will violate the rules would be issued traffic violation receipt, which means paying a maximum fine of P500 and imprisonment for five days.
Esquivel noted that some tricycles can also be impounded if there is enough reason to do so especially if the driver fails to present registration and franchise documents.
He added that tricycle drivers could be cited for "colorum" or out-of-line operations for using a major thoroughfare or diverting from their approved route.
According to him, tricycles that use Katipunan Avenue, which stretches from Aurora Boulevard to Balara, contribute to traffic problems in the area.
Motorists - mostly parents and students of the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, and Miriam College - complained of heavy traffic in the area and blamed the MMDA's traffic re-routing scheme as the culprit. (AH/Sunnex)
