MANDAUE City’s strict campaign against muddy truck tires is showing significant results, with a notable decrease in violations and a recommendation to increase penalties to further deter offenders.
Hyll Retuya, head of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) reported that the City and its team have taken a firm stance against trucks with muddy tires.
“We really stood our ground and the team will apprehend any truck that goes out with very muddy tires,” he said.
According to Retuya, this approach has led to a noticeable change in behavior among truck drivers.
“Now, we can really see they are very disciplined because we can see that they are already washing their tires. So now our apprehensions have decreased because they are told to go out with tires that are no longer muddy,” said Retuya, adding that apprehensions reached about eight to 10 trucks a day.
The current penalty for the violation is P2,000, which officials believe may not be a strong enough deterrent.
Retuya said the City Council and the traffic board are set to discuss proposals to increase the penalty.
“Trucks coming from yards in Umapad were usually the ones found to have caused mud on the roads,” Retuya noted.
Despite some requests for leniency, the City has maintained a no-exemption policy.
“Some asked for their company not to be apprehended; however, I decided that they can’t be exempted from the apprehension so they were told to find a way,” Retuya said. / ABC