Bill to tap DOTC chief as traffic czar

House committee on transportation chairman Catanduanes Rep. Cesar V. Sarmiento. FILE PHOTO

The House of Representatives’ leadership has filed its version of a proposed measure to end the traffic crisis in the country’s three major metropolitan areas, which may be adopted by the committee as the surviving bill.

House Bill No. 4334, or the “Traffic Crisis Act of 2016: Makiisa. Makisama. Magkaisa” grants various “special powers” to the traffic chief as the alterego of the president. The scope of the bill would be limited to the land traffic crisis in the metropolitan cities of Manila, Cebu and Davao.

Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, chair of the transportation committee, said it would be proposed as the model bill this Wednesday.

He explained that the committee’s technical working group would deliberate on the bill on Nov. 23, after it consolidates the different versions of the proposed law.

Sarmiento said that the bill takes into account materials and references from the 10 hearings conducted over the past months.

It also drew from the book, “Larga Pinas,” which listed down the observations and recommendations by the committee during the last 16th Congress.

The bill designated the transportation secretary as the traffic chief, who would exercise supervision of all local government units (LGUs) in the three major cities.

The traffic chief would have supervision over the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Cebu Coordinating Council, the Philippine National Police Traffic Management Group, the Land Transportation Office, the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board, the Road Board, the Davao Traffic Administrator and other related agencies.

Traffic czar powers

The traffic chief has vast powers, to include, among others, the formulation of traffic policies and its standards; the administration of all enforcement and traffic engineering services; the harmonization of traffic rules; the implementation of all traffic laws; the implementation of a unified traffic system in each city; the power to install a single ticketing system; the power to override or cancel contracts and licenses issued by agencies and LGUs; and the power to confiscate or suspend licenses.

Experiencing the commute

The traffic chief, the undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and directors would be required to take public transportation “primarily used by the masses” at least once a week to monitor the traffic crisis.

The bill also mandates the formulation of a traffic management plan for each of the three metropolitan areas in consultation with the MMDA, Cebu Council and the Davao Administrator.

The plan is expected to detail the organizational structure of the agencies, the route rationalization of public utility vehicles (PUVs), a coordinated odd-even or number coding scheme, a synchronized truck ban, the creation of a traffic flow system and the identification of “friendship routes” and alternate routes through subdivision roads.

It would cover the designation of PUV terminals, the removal of traffic signs and PUV stops that block the thoroughfares, sidewalk clearing, traffic systems for roads leading to the ports and a system to speed up the clearing of vehicular accidents.

Traffic rules handbook

A comprehensive traffic rules handbook is to be compiled, under the plan.

Since the traffic crisis is considered a “man-made calamity/catastrophe,” the traffic chief would be authorized to enter into negotiated contracts for priority projects involving critical infrastructure.

The said projects should have terms and conditions advantageous to the government, and vetted by the joint congressional oversight committee.