THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Central Visayas will be requiring city and municipal governments in Cebu to review their current ordinances which regulate pedicabs and tricycles plying their localities.
This after the DILG issued a memorandum circular on Jan. 10, 2020, urging city and town mayors to review their existing ordinances regulating tricycles and pedicabs or if not, adopt their own in relation to the minimum standards of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
This includes preventing tricycles and pedicabs from traveling along major thoroughfares in their localities, among others.
Though the officials of some cities in Cebu have yet to read the DILG 7’s memorandum circular, other local officials said they plan to adopt the DILG’s guidelines in their existing tricycle ordinances.
Lawyer Kenneth Lucero, DILG 7’s local government monitoring and evaluation division chief, told SunStar Cebu that the memorandum circular issued by their central office reiterates the previous guidelines and issuance, such as the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, on operating conditions for pedicabs and tricycles, particularly the banning of these along national highways.
Though he could not specify which cities or municipalities in the region have inconsistent tricycle and pedicab ordinances with DOTr’s guidelines, Lucero said some reports might have prompted their central office to renew its directive.
He added that if a city or municipality’s tricycle ordinance is inconsistent with the DOTr’s guidelines, they could be challenged and declared invalid in court.
Under the Local Government Code, franchise issuance and regulation of tricycle and pedicab operations have been devolved to the local government units.
Also prohibited are tricycles and pedicabs from parking in major thoroughfares, particularly in an intersection, crosswalk, within four meters of the driveway entrance to any fire station, within four meters of a fire hydrant, in front of a private driveway, on the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the curb or edge of the highway, and at any place where official signs have been erected prohibiting parking.
The DILG has given local government units at least 90 days to comply with the guidelines.
Separately, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said that while some of the tricycles and pedicabs operating in his city are not plying major thoroughfares, he plans to issue a recommendation to the City Council to amend their existing tricycle ordinance.
He said that most of the tricycles operating in his city are often confined along barangay roads.
For their part, Mandaue City officials admitted that there are still some tricycles operating in their city that ply major thoroughfares.
Lawyer John Eddu Ybañez, executive secretary to Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, said they will strictly comply with the DILG’s guidelines.
But even before that, Ybañez said the City has strictly regulated tricycles operating in their city.
“As a matter of fact, the operators cannot avail themselves of the franchise if they cannot comply with the requirements,” Ybañez said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
With the DILG’s memorandum circular, Ybañez said that they will task the Tricycle Franchising Board to comply with the guidelines. (WBS, JJL, KFD)