A REPRESENTATIVE from the Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) said there should be a clear timeline for the citation tickets issued, particularly to the Department of Public Works and Highways-Davao Region (DPWH-Davao) contractors implementing road works that would heavily affect the city's traffic situation.
Eduardo Perez IV, assistant division head of planning under CTTMO, said in a media interview on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at the Sangguniang Panlungsod that their office has been having difficulty in issuing citation tickets to the contractors, especially since they are implementing national projects.
He said they would recommend to the city council the timeline for the tickets they will issue to the contractors who are violating the traffic rules.
“Mag-recommend me, magpasa me. Amoa nang i-klaro per hour, per day kay P5,000 lang man ang maximum sa Local Government Code kana (We would recommend, we will pass a clarified version of whether the violation is per hour or per day since the maximum penalty in the Local Government Code is P5,000),” he said.
Perez said during the suspended rules of the 13th regular session that they issue citation tickets to the contractors who fail to acquire permits in excavating or implementing road works, and they issue citation tickets against contractors' drivers with a P500 fine because they obstruct traffic flow and unauthorized re-routing of vehicles. They also give notice or warning to the contractors who fail to coordinate with the City Transport and Traffic Management Board (CTTMB).
He shared that the CTTMB set six guidelines on May 2023 to minimize the challenges brought about by the road works.
First is the installation of traffic advisory signage in coordination with the traffic engineering division of CTTMO; second, dissemination on all electronic platforms together with CTTMO; third, the project must commence three days after the information dissemination;
Fourth, contractors must coordinate with the telecommunication and utility companies as well as the CTTMO traffic signal maintenance team; fifth, there should be an affidavit of undertaking so that the contractors will abide by the guidelines; and lastly, the advisories and traffic control devices should not be removed until the project is finished.
“As we can see, these existing controls are not enough. Either contractors have no idea of coordinating the LGU first, or they just do not care about the inconveniences they will cause to the road users,” he said.
The office then recommended that all the pedestrian crossings that will be affected by the road works must be restored immediately. The pedestrian road markings and all road intersection markings should be coordinated with the office since it will affect the flow of traffic, and all the unfinished road works must be fenced properly with adequate lighting and reflectorized paint or stickers to avoid road crashes. And lastly, there should not be any waste debris or road equipment left behind on the roads.
“All of these, if violated, should be incorporated for an amendment of traffic code specifically for issuance of citation tickets against contractors, its sub-contractors, representatives, and workers, including the compliance of the policy resolutions or any recommendations made by the CTTMB,” he said. RGP
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