A WEEK after it kicked off its ?Pink Line Project,? the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said that most vehicle owners still ignore the pink lines painted on major thoroughfares, including portions of Edsa.

This has prompted the agency to deploy 20 tow trucks on Osmeña Highway, Marcos Highway and MacArthur Highway, MMDA Traffic Operations Center Executive Director Angelito Vergel de Dios said.

The MMDA earlier painted three-inch wide pink lines on several major thoroughfares in an attempt to curb illegal parking. The lines serve to mark the boundary between government and private property.

Cars parked inside the pink line will not be towed as these are considered to be on private property. On the other hand, vehicles parked on or beyond the lines shall be towed if the owner or driver is not present.

Aside from an impounding fee of P800 to P1,400, plus P80 per day for every day the car is left unclaimed, the owner of the vehicle will also be fined P500.

Vergel de Dios, meanwhile, shrugged off complaints that the MMDA had not properly publicized its Pink Line Project, saying it was based on existing illegal parking policies that every motorist should be aware of.

Since the campaign began last week, the agency has been receiving reports that motorists, on the whole, seemed unaware of the policy or chose to ignore it, the official said.

Over the agency?s radio program ?MMDA sa GMA? on dzBB, Vergel de Dios reiterated his warning to motorists to comply with the illegal parking policy, or face the risk of getting fined or their vehicle towed.

The MMDA plans to implement the project on 5,000 kilometers of roadway in Metro Manila. About 40 kilometers of pink lines have already been painted on Edsa and Osmeña Highway.

Warning signs have been posted every 50 or 100 meters of the covered roadway informing motorists and car owners of the policy.