DESPITE months of travel restrictions in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the collection of the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) from fines of various traffic violations still increased by 8.1 percent.
The CCTO collected P34.4 million from fines in 2020.
In 2019, the CCTO collected P31.6 million.
CCTO information officer Paul Gotiong said the fines were for traffic violations and clamping collected in 2020.
Gotiong said common violations committed by motorists and the public are illegal parking and disregarding traffic signs.
He said most apprehensions involved private vehicles which constitute more than 60 percent of vehicles plying the city roads.
Gotiong said the most number of violations was noted in January to February 2020 before the general community quarantine (GCQ) and enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) were implemented and from August to September when the risk classification in the city was downgraded to GCQ.
Cebu City was placed under GCQ on March 16, 2020 and was placed under ECQ from March 28 until May.
From June 1 to15, the city was placed under modified ECQ and was reverted to ECQ after June 15.
The city was only placed under GCQ in August and was finally placed under modified GCQ in September.
Under the ECQ, MECQ and GCQ, only essential travels, as well as vehicles, were allowed to ply the city streets.
The public utility vehicles, although allowed to operate in July and August, only a number of them were plying the city streets.
In September, more buses operated, while in November, the traditional public utility jeepneys (TPUJs) started their operations.
With the city under MGCQ for months now, more vehicles are back on the city roads again.
Gotiong said in January 2021, the CCTO collected P3.3 million in terms of penalties and P3.2 million in February.
Gotiong said January and February are usually the months when the CCTO collects the most penalties from the violators.
Gotiong urged motorists and the general public to follow the traffic signs and other traffic rules to avoid committing any violations and avoid spending their money to pay the fines.
Meanwhile, the CCTO, together with the Sugbo Bike Lanes Board and 10 barangays in the city have agreed to deputize the barangay tanods in enforcing the bike lane safety and compliance.
In a press release from the Sugbo Bike Lanes Board on March 8, 2021, it stated that barangays T. Padilla, San Nicolas Proper, San Antonio, Tinago, Punta Princesa, Kamagayan, Sambag 2, Pahina Central, Labangon and Cogon Ramos have agreed to utilize their respective barangay tanods as an auxiliary task force to augment the CCTO in the enforcement of the city’s bike lanes. (JJL)