Mindanaotoday.com | Oro dad to RTA: Enforce the law
By: URIEL QUILINGUING
There are areas where traffic laws must be enforced to the letter, the chief executive of Cagayan de Oro said in his state-of-the-city address on Thursday, June 14.
City Mayor Rolando A. Uy said that while he sees the need for the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) to educate the public on rules and regulations, but violations must not be ignored.
Uy reminded RTA Head Nonito A. Oclarit to strike a balance between creating public awareness and penalizing those who disregard the city’s ordinance and national laws.
“Ni-ayon ako nga gitagaan ninyo ug (og) dako nga bili ang edukasyon labaw sa enforcement, pero ayaw kalimti nga adunay mga lugar nga kinahanglan gyud ninyo mag enforce sa balaod trapiko,” the city mayor said in Bisayan.
He said many no longer observe the yellow box (for picking up and dis-embarking of passengers), disregard no-parking signs, and do not use pedestrian lanes when crossing the street.
Uy, however, cited the RTA in its performance, with other law-enforcement entities, in clearing the sidewalks with ambulant vendors at the Cogon Public Market area by transferring them to designated areas.
RTA, he said, must work with those in the transport sector who are cooperative and willing to help in finding ways of easing the flow of road traffic—particularly along C. M. Recto Avenue from the city proper to Bugo village and Fr. W. Masterson Road at the uptown area in the eastern and western sides, respectively.
In a forum on Wednesday, June 14, at the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, Oclarit said they have been in discussions with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Land Transportation Office, and the National Confederation of Transport Union (NCTU) Northern Mindanao in addressing the city’s traffic issues.
“A special task force, including the RTA, will be created,” the RTA head said, and that the
composite team could issue traffic citation tickets (temporary operator’s permit) to violators.
He said designated areas for sidewalk vendors at Carmen Public Market and Gaston Park fronting the St. Augustine Cathedral (on weekends) will also be identified to ensure orderly flow of traffic for motorists and commuters.
Last Friday, June 16, many travelers from this city and nearby areas, who were stranded for hours at Puerto village area, vented out their feelings online — some were on the road for two hours before reaching either Bugo village of this city or neighboring Tagoloan town, Misamis Oriental.
Under normal traffic flow, a traveler from Northern Mindanao Medical Center at C.M. Recto in Cagayan de Oro could reach Tagoloan, which is roughly 22 kilometers away, in 37 minutes.
Aside from his marching order to the RTA, the city chief executive appealed to the Department of Public Works and Highways and its contractors to comply with the approved embankment in road and canal construction and repair projects.
He asked them to assist in manning flow of motorists at their project sites, by deploying backup personnel during rush hours, even as he asked the public to be patient until construction works are completed.
The city mayor also instructed the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) to hasten pipe-leakage repair works on the streets and to restore excavated areas to original conditions.
He said the chokepoints on the city’s road network have already been identified, including those on road approaches at Cagayan de Oro River, and these would be addressed once expansion of existing bridges and construction of new ones are realized.
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