Drive vs e-vehicles, trikes on major roads nets 131

NO MORE VERBAL WARNING Wednesday marked the implementation in earnest of the ban on e-scooters, e-trikes, tricycles and pedicabs on major Metro roads. Those caught were fined P2,000 or had their vehicles impounded, or both,
depending on their violation. RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday said its enforcers caught 131 vehicles and impounded 41 for violating the ban on tricycles, pedicabs, e-tricycles and e-bicycles using national roads.

The MMDA said that from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the drivers of 72 tricycles, four pedicabs, 26 e-trikes, and 29 e-bikes were issued tickets and fined P2,500 each. Forty-one of the apprehended vehicles were impounded after their drivers failed to present licenses or registration papers for the vehicles.

The ban on these types of vehicles under MMDA Regulation No. 24-002 took effect on Monday although violators were given only a verbal warning. The penalties (fines and/or impounding of vehicles) were implemented starting on Wednesday.

READ: E-bike ban on major Metro Manila roads to take effect April 15

The regulation prohibits all tricycles, pushcarts, pedicabs, “kuliglig” (motorized pedicabs), e-bikes, e-trikes and other electric vehicles from plying, traversing, or navigating national, circumferential and radial roads in Metro Manila.

These include Recto Avenue, Pres. Quirino Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Edsa, Katipunan/CP Garcia Avenue (C5), Southeast Metro Manila Expressway (C6), Roxas Boulevard, Taft Avenue, Osmeña Highway or South Super Highway, and other roads and thoroughfares to be determined by MMDA.

Anticolorum drive

Also on Wednesday, MMDA Chair Romando Artes, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos, Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista and Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) creating a joint task force (JTF) to conduct operations against “colorum” or unregistered vehicles.

The MOA, signed at Camp Crame, Quezon City, authorized the DILG, through its Special Project Group, the DOTr, MMDA and PNP, to designate “sufficient personnel” from their respective offices to form part of the JTF.

“The members of the JTF, through the functions of their respective offices and of the offices or agencies attached to them, will coordinate and collaborate the conduct of traffic, clearing, and all kinds of anti-colorum operations within Metro Manila,” the MOA stated.

President’s directive

Last week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the DILG and PNP to intensify efforts to go after colorum public utility vehicles (PUV) or those without franchises, to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

In his remarks, Bautista said the JTF was one of the solutions to help legitimate operators and drivers support the PUV Modernization Program.

“Through this partnership, we can help those who are operating legally who claim to lose 35 percent of their revenues due to colorum vehicles,” he said.

The DoTr chief also noted that the crackdown would help resolve the traffic problem on Metro Manila roads. “If we can decrease 90 percent of colorum operations, this is of big help to the legitimate transport operators and a huge relief to the usual traffic flow,” he said.

For his part, Abalos said that from March 12 to April 15, the composite team of the MMDA and DILG caught 56 colorum vehicles, 44 others that were operating outside their routes, and impounded a total of 100 units.

“This is an effective collaboration with the DILG, MMDA, DOTr, and the PNP. Given the number of apprehensions for just a period of one month, we can probably yield more than 1,000 colorum vehicle apprehensions for a year,” Abalos said as he warned colorum drivers and operators of fines ranging from P6,000 to P1 million, depending on the vehicle.

Artes added that the agencies decided to formalize the partnership “to ensure faster, smoother, more orderly, and more apprehensions, pursuant to the President’s order.”