Pointblank
Plagata's gargantuan task
Kagawad Erwin "Tongtong" Plagata, the new chair of the committee on transportation of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, has started a crackdown on tricycles and pedicabs, locally known as trisikad, which do not have permits and which openly violate the city ordinance banning them from using the city's major roads.
The presence of tricycles and pedicabs in the city's major roads has long been a problem in the city. It is one of the factors causing traffic congestion aside from the fact that it is dangerous on the part of the drivers and passengers as they are vulnerable to accidents. It's good that Kagawad Plagata took initial steps to address this problem. We just hope that the city's Traffic Management and Engineering Unit (TMEU) would do their part in this endeavor.
The implementation of traffic ordinances actually lies on our traffic enforcers, most particularly the traffic auxiliaries. We may have lots of traffic ordinances but if it is not properly implemented our traffic problems would just be the same problems we will encounter every day.
With regard to the presence of tricycles and pedicabs on our major roads, I think Kagawad Plagata should also take time to review the franchises granted on these modes of transportation. I have observed that there are indeed routes plied by tricycles and trisikads which passes through major roads. Take for example the trisikads plying the Bolilao-Jalandoni Road in Jaro district, the tricycles plying the Diversion Road to Mandurriao route, and a lot more. On why the franchises for those routes were granted by the city council is a big question which, perhaps, Kagawad Plagata could answer since he has been in the city council for quite a long time.
Another thing which Councilor Plagata, as chair of the transportation committee, should look into is the closure of certain roads in several areas in the city to be used as basketball courts. This practice should be stopped since it causes undue inconvenience to the public. Yes, it happens once in a while -- only during certain occasions like fiestas and the like -- but the convenience of the public in general should be considered. Why not hold those basketball games in the nearest gymnasiums instead? With that the players could play comfortably with well-paved floor rather than a rough surface of the road.
With the current situation where the existing road networks in the city could hardly accommodate the volume of vehicles everyday I think any requests for the closure of roads for basketball games and other activities should be outrightly rejected by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
There are a lot of factors that contribute to the city's worsening traffic problem and I guess Kagawad Plagata is all aware about these. Having accepted the challenge to head the city council's transportation committee I hope he could make a difference.