WITH the series of horrible road mishaps where central Visayas recorded the highest incidents, city councilor Candy Lourdes Darimbang proposed the strict imposition of speed limits in the various parts of the city to reduce road accidents and attract more tourists.
Darimbang, who is the wife of Land Transportation and Franchise Regulatory Board in Northern Mindanao (LTFRB-10) director Mandangan Darimbang, observed that road mishaps occur due to reckless driving.
“Illegal overtaking and speeding,” Darimbang cited these as the reasons of most tragic road accidents.
With the continuous growth of the city, it has become highly urbanized. “There is a need to adapt to the traffic condition as a result of this urbanization,” she said.
She urged the city government to enact measures enhancing road safety to prevent loss of lives due to vehicular accidents that are highly avoidable once driving regulations are imposed.
The need to amend some sections, she said, in Traffic Code no. 1551-2007 of the city is necessary since they are either obsolete or not applicable. “Rehashing the ordinance is vital and once amended implementation should be enforced.”
Speed limits
For subdivisions, intersections, corners, school zones and churches, a 20-kilometer per hour speed limit should be enforced. In the past, incidents of sideswiping persons had been recorded as vehicles sped in these particular areas.
For buses and trucks entering the city, the speed limit should be between 30-40 kilometers per hour.
Darimbang said that for open roads without blind corners like barangays Bugo and Puerto, a 60-kilometer per hour speed limit should be implemented.
When asked by city councilor President Elipe if there is an existing speed restriction in the city, Darimbang said the traffic ordinance has a speed limit but there are no specific areas in the city mentioned.
Punishment
During Darimbang’s special report in the 29th session of the city council, she said that offenders should be fined and penalized.
She proposed that first offenders should be fined P1,500 and P3,000 for the second offense with a possible chance of license revocation.
For the third offense, she said fines should be at P5,000 and a possible imprisonment for six months.
Darimbang, also the chairperson of the committee on tourism, said that ensuring road safety in the city would entice more tourists to visit the tourists destinations in the region including the city’s. However, Elipe argued on the proposed varying speed limit for it could confuse the motorists.
Elipe cited that in Davao City, it maintains only one speed limit within the city which is 30-kilometers per hour, thus, he suggested that there should only be one speed limit within the city to avoid confusion.
During the session, city councilor Roger Abaday, chairman on the committee on public utilities, requested the issue to be moved to his committee for further study.