QC, LTO eye no-contact, on-cam apprehension of traffic violators

Traffic law enforcement without human intervention? A partnership between the Quezon City government and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) wants to make this possible.

Under the envisioned “no-contact apprehension” system, specialized cameras in the city will automatically detect vehicles that commit traffic violations like beating the red light, making illegal turns, speeding or changing lanes.

In a presentation last week, LTO spokesperson Jason Salvador explained that traffic violations caught on these cameras would be transmitted to Quezon City Hall, which in turn can look up the vehicle and its owner in the LTO database of registered vehicles and licensed drivers.

Access to the database was formally granted to the local government through a memorandum of agreement signed on Monday.

Based on what was recorded on camera, the city government and the LTO will then deliver the traffic ticket or Ordinance Violation Receipt to the violator’s address.

Once the OVR has been mailed, the recipient is expected to respond either by settling the penalty or by requesting a hearing if the citation is being contested.

If the motorist refuses to pay the fine, the violation will remain in the LTO database as basis against the renewal of his or her license to drive.

“The tracking force will be the cameras. Citizens would know they’re being watched so, with this, we can promote order,” Salvador said.

“We’re modernizing traffic management here in Quezon City,” said Mayor Herbert Bautista. “The no-contact policy is important (since) we’ll remove the possibility of bribery. This time, the cameras will keep watch. When they catch you, you get a ticket.”

The project timetable is still being drawn up and the supplier for the cameras has yet to be determined through a public bidding, according to Elmo San Diego, head of the city’s Department of Public Order and Safety.

San Diego said the initial plan was to cover 10 strategic intersections in the city. “We’ll pilot it there. We’ll check the rate of apprehension of the cameras and we’ll have a gap analysis to check the problems, then we polish it. We hope to eventually have it at all intersections in Quezon City.”