LTO flags down 229 e-trikes, e-bikes for violating ban on major roads

MANILA, Philippines — At least 229 electric bicycles and tricycles, or e-bikes and e-trikes, have been flagged down by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) since it began banning the vehicles from major highways in Metro Manila on Jan. 2.

LTO chief Markus Lacanilao said in a press briefing on Wednesday that 114 e-bikes and e-trikes were apprehended on the first day of the ban. The number of violators, however, went down in the next two days, with 70 vehicles on Jan. 3 and only 45 on Jan. 4.

Lacanilao added that some of the owners of these electric vehicles have already paid the corresponding fines at the LTO central office, showing that “there are people who want order.”

READ: E-trikes banned on major Metro Manila roads; group wants it PH-wide

The ban on e-bikes and e-trikes covers major thoroughfares, including Edsa, C-5 Road, Roxas Boulevard, and the stretch of Quirino Avenue going to Magallanes-South Luzon Expressway.

Safety measure

“For now, we focused on those four highways … [Regarding] Commonwealth [Avenue] and Marcos Highway, we are still in the process of studying [whether to implement a similar ban], so I will also request a discussion with [local government units] on Monday regarding this,” Lacanilao said.

While acknowledging that many Filipinos use e-trikes as their mode of transportation, Lacanilao earlier said the ban was meant to ensure their safety. According to him, the LTO would be working with local government units and other stakeholders to identify and develop “suitable routes where e-trikes can operate without disrupting traffic or endangering road users” in an effort to “balance mobility needs with safety and order.”

Those caught violating the ban face sanctions under Republic Act No. 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, as well as Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01. Penalties include fines with the possible impounding of the electric vehicle for repeat offenders.

While the ban was welcomed by the Electric Vehicles Association of the Philippines (EVAP), it also called for a “clearer implementation” of the policy.

EVAP president Edmund Araga said in a previous interview with the Inquirer that the ban should extend beyond Metro Manila.

“At the end of the day, what we need are safety rules. We have to make it safe for road users, and this is a good opportunity to truly ban vehicles that do not comply with and do not follow traffic rules,” he added. /cb