LTO: Motorcycle license plates can be smaller if…

COLOR IT RED The Land Transportation Office shows a sample design of the new license plates that are color-coded by region. Metro plates, for example, will be red. —Krixia Subingsubing

The new license plates for motorcycles will be slightly smaller than a short bond paper and not necessarily made of metal, according to the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

Reacting to critics of Republic Act No. 11235 or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, LTO deputy director Edgar Galvante said the claim that the bigger, color-coded plates would compromise motorcycle riders’ safety was “fake news.”

Sample designs shown by the LTO to reporters had a dimension of 198 millimeters (7.79 inches) by 220 mm (8.66 in). The size of the letters and numbers were 70 mm (2.76 in) by 34 mm (1.33 in).

The size of the license plates, Galvante said, could be further reduced as long as the letters and numbers were readable. The type of material to be used, however, had yet to be determined although the LTO was amenable to decals or stickers — the preference of motorcycle groups.

“There is nothing in the law that says the plates have to be made of sheet metal,” he pointed out, adding: “It only has to be sturdy and readable from a distance of 15 to 20 meters.”

The plates would also be color-coded depending on the region where the motorcycle was registered. Metro Manila bikes, for example, would be issued red plates.

90-day deadline

Although the Department of Transportation is still in consultation with stakeholders, it has targeted the release of the implementing rules and regulations for RA 11235 within 90 days.

At the same time, Galvante dismissed concerns that the newly signed law would only worsen the 15-million backlog in license plates.

Around 5.9 million of these were for motorcycles that were registered between February 2014 and July 2016.

According to Galvante, the LTO recently procured an automated printing machine that would speed up the printing process by twofold.