‘Guards are not traffic enforcers’

When a car pulls out of a parking lot, sometimes the building’s security guard helps guide it out by stopping passing cars.

Not a good idea, said Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) chairman Sylvan Jakosalem.

He said security guards shouldn’t act as traffic enforcers in these situations since this would cause traffic congestion in the main roads.

He sent  letters to establishment owners telling them this was a  a violation by  security guards who  go out  of their way to assist their clients’ cars out of the car park.

“They must be deputized by Citom to do that. They must bear in mind that the cars in the main thoroughfares must be given priority,” he said.

Jakosalem said he was also worried about the rise of establishments in congested areas.

He said parking plans of these buildings must be followed and reminded business owners that Citom may  put railings in lots that are not intended for parking.

“The previous administration already did  it before. Railings  were installed in establishments that failed to comply with their parking plans,” Jakosalem said.

He said vehicles in some establishments were doing diagonal parking instead of parallel parking.

Last week Jakosalem withdrew his plan to ask the  Citom board and  Mayor Michael Rama to include Citom in the approval of locational clearance of establishments. He agreed with  Councilor Ritchie Osmeña that  it would just add a layer of bureaucracy.  /Edison Delos Angeles