ANGELES City Councilor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. has questioned what he described as inconsistent enforcement of a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) advisory which bans tricycles and pedicabs along national highways.
Lazatin said a local ordinance on the New Traffic Rules and Regulations in Angeles City, however, designates a dedicated lane for two-wheelers and three-wheelers on the highway.
Members of Fedtoda trooped to the session hall to air their sentiments as many tricycle drivers are being apprehended for violating the ban on national highway despite the enactment of a local ordinance that allows them to traverse the national highway.
Antolin Tinio, officer-in-charge of Angeles City Traffic Division Offices (ACTDO), denied this.
Lazatin said DILG Advisory No. 2019–0016 was based on Section 10 of Presidential Letter of Instructions No. 1482, Series of 1985, which states that tricycles “are prohibited to operate along the national highway or on any road which allows maximum speed of more than 40 KPH, especially on well paved, high speed roads, unless special tricycles/bicycles lanes on the shoulder are provided, except to cross.”
On the other hand, Section 37.a. of Ordinance No. 423, Series of 2017, states that a “dedicated lane for all two- and three- wheel vehicles and other slow moving vehicle shall always be on the rightmost moving lane, in cases of multiple-lane roads with 2 or more lanes on each direction.”
Lazatin expressed dismay over Tinio’s apparent lack of information on how the ACTDO is implementing the said ordinance.
“Do you mean to say that you do not know what is happening in your office? You are saying nobody is being apprehended but our friends from Fedtoda are saying many of them are being apprehended by ACTDO enforcers for this violation,” Lazatin said.
He also pointed out that Tinio issued a letter addressed to Vice-Mayor Bryan Nepomuceno confirming that ACTDO has started implementing the DILG advisory.
Lazatin said there is no issue with the ACTDO complying with the advisory of the DILG, but there needs to be clear implementing rules and regulations which should be not only for the traffic enforcers but also for tricyle operators and drivers to avoid wrongful arrests and confusion.