BAGUIO CITY – An officer of the Baguio City Police Office – Traffic Management Branch (BCPO-TMB) expressed concern over the unprecedented increase in the number of registered motor vehicles in the city which is contributory to the drastic increase in the volume of vehicles plying the city’s roads that result to monstrous traffic congestions and insufficient parking spaces in the different parts of the city.
BCPO-TMB head Chief Inspector Oliver Panabanga claimed that based on data obtained from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Baguio City, the number of registered motor vehicles in the city alone as of last year increased to over 57,600 compared to the over 44,500 registered vehicles in the city in 2017.
He explained that based on studies, existing city roads and streets could only accommodate 10,000 to a maximum of 15,000 motor vehicles to ensure the smooth flow of vehicular traffic aside from making available spaces to accommodate vehicles that will park.
Furthermore, Panabanga noted that the number of inventoried available parking spaces in the different parts of the city is roughly over 2,777 which is way below the number of registered vehicles.
‘We continue to explore all possible means of easing the traffic congestions around the city but we are always overwhelmed by the huge volume of vehicles that flock to the city, especially during weekends and holidays that is why we really need the cooperation of the public” Panabanga stressed.
The BCPO-TMB official asserted that the number of vehicles in the city is exclusive of the over 35,000 motor vehicles that are registered with the LTO La Trinidad as of 2017 that is why there is a huge volume of motor vehicles that congest roads going in and out of the city daily thereby causing headaches among traffic enforcers on how to decongest the roads and streets from traffic jams.
According to him, it is still best for the public to avail of the use of the public transportation so that the presence of private vehicles along roads and streets will actually be minimized thereby contributing in efforts to lessen traffic jams around the city.
Panabanga disclosed that another cause of worsening traffic congestions in the city’s central business district area is the lack of discipline among motorists that is why traffic officers continue to impart to them the importance of strictly adhering to the strict implementation of traffic rules and regulations to help ease the traffic jams in the central business district area.
Panabanga emphasized that traffic enforcers will remain steadfast in implementing the local government’s anti-obstruction and anti-illegal parking policies to instil discipline among motorists not to park their motor vehicles in areas where parking is actually prohibited by ordinances that have been adopted by the local legislative body.
He expressed support to the plan of the local government to increase the fines and penalties to be imposed against individuals who unscrupulously park their motor vehicles even in areas not officially designated as parking areas in the different parts of the city for them to learn their lessons from paying bigger fines that accrue to the local government.
By Dexter A. See