BAGUIO CITY – The author of the King of the Road ordinance mandating motorists to make a 5-second stop upon approaching pedestrian lanes warned elements of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) and government officials and employees to be models in complying with the said rule in order to convince the motoring public to abide by it.
Councilor Fred Bagbagen also gave two weeks to the local police force to show the city council that they are strictly implementing the provisions of the ordinance before they will be the ones to do the arrest of erring motorists who refuse to abide by the 5-second mandatory stop upon approaching the pedestrian lanes.
“If we are not able to abide by the ordinance and subsequently implement the same, then it would useless to have the ordinance. Let us better scrap it,” Bagbagen stressed.
He accused some policemen, government officials and employees of taking for granted the existence of the King of the Road ordinance as numerous reports have reached him that they do not comply with the same which makes a public perception that the motoring public would also follow the footsteps of people in authority not following simple traffic rules and regulations.
Bagbagen challenged the members of the local police force to make successive arrests of motorists violating the King of the Road ordinance in order to send a message to the motoring public that the city government business means business in instilling discipline among its motorists and setting an example in obeying local ordinances.
According to him, regardless of the reasons of motorists not stopping in approaching pedestrian lanes, the fact remains that there is an existing ordinance that mandates the 5-second mandatory stop to at least contribute in reducing traffic congestions and accidents.
Bagbagen said law enforcers and local officials who abide by the King of the Road ordinance deserve to be given due recognition for their obedience to local ordinance while people who refuse to abide by the ordinance and other traffic rules and regulations deserve to be criticized and lamented for being a wrong model in compliance to the law.
He said while he understands the predicament of the policemen that they could not be in all places at the same time, he cited they must be alert at all times while assigned in pedestrian lanes so that they could immediately apprehend violators of the King of the Road ordinance.
Superintendent Evilio Degay, chief of the BCPO traffic management branch, said law enforcers are religiously implementing the provisions of the King of the Road ordinance in order to contribute in putting order to the city’s traffic problems.
“We have no intention of not implementing local ordinances. We have been strictly implementing the provisions of the ordinance. In fact, we had been constantly issuing our reminders to our motorists in relation to the existence of the King of the Road ordinance and the need for them to make a 5-second mandatory stop when approaching pedestrian lanes,” Degay stressed.
He called on local residents to help the local police force in the implementation of the ordinance by making citizens’ arrest on erring motorists so that they will be taught the necessary lessons in complying with the city’s ordinances in order to effectively and efficiently contribute in improving the traffic flow around the city.
