TAGUIG City is already 90-percent compliant of President Rodrigo Duterte's order to “reclaim public roads which are being used for private ends".
Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano said the accomplishment was achieved halfway into the 60-day deadline imposed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the clearing of public roads.
The President had given the order to reclaim public roads during his State of the Nation Address on July 22, 2019.
"In Taguig, we have made sure that all roads are being used, accessed and and fully utilized by the public," Cayetano said.
The Taguig City government has been conducting clearing operations since 2010.
This reminder and directive of the President, however, inspired the Taguig government to pass an executive order focusing on long-term improved mobility in the city.
The EO's simple yet comprehensive goal is to make mobility in the city for pedestrians and vehicles safer and faster in the City of Taguig.
"We just intensified our clearing operations and we are continuing to work with the community so we can move to the next phase of our mobility operation," the mayor said.
The city government acknowledges that to ensure that public roads remain free of obstructions, there is also a need to improve policy, transform the culture of people, and create supporting infrastructure.
The existing Taguig Vehicle Pedestrian and Mobility Plan has been improved to include Mayor Cayetano's 10-point agenda which emphasizes the need for a safe city.
Apart from the daily clearing operations then, the local government has opened Mabuhay Lanes.
The city government is also studying the opening of roads in select villages to traffic during rush hours and the designation of loading and unloading areas for public utility vehicles, among others.
To transform culture, seminars on traffic rules and regulations, driver etiquette, green driving; information drives on pedestrian walking, green walking; and the intensified presence of enforcers who will sanction errant motorists and pedestrians, among others, will continue to be implemented.
At the same time, installation of traffic lights, integration of parking spaces in the construction of buildings, among others, will be intensified.
"The goal is for residents and visitors to go to their destinations in Taguig faster and safer, not just for a specific short period of time, but for a long time," Cayetano said. (PR)