NOT too long ago, the city government of Manila had imposed a ban on buses which do not have an existing terminal within the city, earning praises for easing the horrendous traffic congestion that has long beset the country’s capital.
Tomorrow, it will start to implement another ban, this time on trucks which have not only contributed to traffic congestion in Manila and its neighboring cities but also have been responsible for a rise in vehicular accidents that killed or maimed many innocent people.
Under Manila City Council Ordinance No. 8336, trucks are banned between 5AM to 9PM from Monday to Saturday, from entering and passing through the city. Violators of this daytime truck ban will be fined P5,000 along with possible impoundment.
However, following protests from the business community in the import-export industry, the city government of Manila relented by allowing truckers to ply their routes between a window period of 10AM to 3PM.
The window period for daytime truck driving will be in effect for about six to eight months to allow businesses to transfer operations to the Subic and Batangas ports.
The ban covers all cargo trucks, gravel and sand trucks, cement mixers and other heavy cargo trucks with 8 wheels and up, or whose gross vehicle weights exceed 4,500 kilograms, including trailers hitched to trucks.
Trucks that deliver perishable goods and petroleum products, as well as vehicles used for government projects, are exempted from the daytime truck driving ban, which is lifted on Sundays and holidays.
If the ban is strictly and effectively implemented, it will affect more than 4,500 to 5,000 containers that regularly arrive at the two ports in Manila everyday, giving commuters and motorists the much-needed sigh of relief from traffic congestion.
But while the city government of Manila and its council should be commended for looking for ways to decongest Manila and put some order in the flow of traffic within the city, they should not lose sight of the illegal parking of trucks along our major thoroughfares.
They should also look at the road worthiness of these heavy trucks, notably trailers hitched to trucks which are hardly lit and in dilapidated condition, as well as the grooming of these truck drivers, most of whom are widely believed to be heavy drug users.
They should also look at putting some cleanliness in the city as many good people I know have noticed the resurgence of indiscriminate dumping areas that continue to block our major roads, notably along Road 10 in Tondo, Manila.
They should also show a political will to ban colorum jeepneys, UV Express vans, motorized tricycles and pedicabs, including the hybrid kuliglig and other public utility vehicles from creating anarchy inside the city’s roads and streets.
