THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it has installed metal road studs or "cat's eye" on the lane dividers along Elliptical Road in Quezon City.
MMDA Chairman Oscar Inocentes said the installation of the cat's eye is in response to the increasing number of vehicular accidents in Quezon City, particularly along the Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC).
The QMC, one of the high-speed highways in Metro Manila comprising 10 lanes with a length of 1.88 kilometers, 590-meter diameter, 295-meter radius, is considered extremely dangerous to motorists because of its roundabout traffic movement.
The cat's eye, so-called for its luminosity, are installed three meters apart and will serve as lane dividers to oblige the drivers to stay on their lanes except when turning right to perpendicular roads. They also serve as lane guidance during nighttime.
Its body, measuring 1 or 2 millimeters (mm) x 43 mm, is made up of aluminum metal with glass elements. It has a length of 50 mm and particularly suitable for locations where the road condition is not of optimum quality.
"The putting in place of the cat's eye would ensure that the vehicles stay within their designated lanes, and would therefore curb the speed limit to 40 kilometers per hour," Inocentes said.
According to Traffic Operations Center Chief Angelito Vergel De Dios, most of the vehicles traversing Elliptical Road, because of its width, do not observe the speed limit, which often results to fatal accidents.
"We have consistently installed pertinent road signs like "Stay in your Lane" along the area in an attempt to prevent accidents. However, motorists continue to disregard the signs and violate the traffic laws," De Dios said.
In the most recent report released by the Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) of the agency's Road Safety Unit, Quezon City topped the list with the most number of road mishaps during the first five months of the year.
According to the MMARAS, the most common cause of vehicular accidents is human error which involves over speeding, inattentiveness, overtaking, swerving, and disregard for traffic signs and rules. (AH/Sunnex)