Makati goes hard vs drivers blocking pedestrian lanes

A total of 454 motorists have been apprehended in Makati City in less than a month for blocking pedestrian lanes. Following Mayor Abby Binay’s orders, traffic personnel began strictly implementing regulations on zebra lanes amid mounting complaints against rude motorists. Based on reports submitted by the city’s Public Safety Department (PSD), the highest number of violators apprehended came from Zone 1 (Central Business District), with around 200 from March 4 to 24. Binay directed the PSD to review the Makati Traffic Code as she cited the need for heavier penalties for violations that directly endanger lives. Encroaching on a pedestrian lane at a stoplight carries a fine of P200, in addition to community service. The second and subsequent offenses will be fined twice the value of the most recent fine on record, whether it had been paid or not, but will not exceed P2,500 per violation. “Sadly, many motorists have become insensitive to the danger they pose [to] pedestrians when they obstruct pedestrian lanes or fail to slow down before reaching a designated crossing,” Binay said in a statement on Thursday. —Erika Sauler