BAGUIO CITY – Local police authorities underscored that no expert can come up with an immediate solution to the city’s worsening traffic condition because it takes the active participation of everyone to ensure the smooth flow of motor vehicles around the city.
Police Col. Elisio Tanding, City Director of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) claimed that what it takes to solve the city’s current traffic predicaments are discipline among motorists and pedestrians, compliance to traffic rules and regulations and coordination among concerned government agencies and the local government on the implementation of whatever schemes or projects along major roads in the city.
“We do not need experts or scientists to solve our traffic condition because the solution is within us. We should start reforming ourselves so that we will be able to help in reducing the traffic along our major roads,” Tanding stressed.
The BCPO official claimed that everyone has a stake in the city’s existing traffic woes that is why they also have a stake in solving the said woes because it is from the motorists and the pedestrians that cause the problems.
He vehemently denied the repeated notion of majority of the populace that when there are traffic enforcers assigned to man the different intersections, traffic is inevitable, saying that traffic policemen are assigned in identified choke points in the city to ease the congestion that is why part of the solution to the traffic is the discipline of the motorists in not insisting on what they want and for pedestrians to adhere to the existing rules and regulations.
According to him, discipline among motorists and pedestrians have been time and gain reminded to strictly adhere to the existing traffic laws, rules and regulations being enforced because it will definitely contribute in the congestions along major roads in the city.
He pointed out that there are more than 57,000 registered motor vehicles in the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Baguio city aside from those registered in the La Trinidad LTO and the motor vehicles of visitors who flock to the city during special occasions that is why what is important is for everyone to contribute their share in helping prevent the occurrence of traffic jams by observing traffic rules and regulations.
For visitors who bring with them their motor vehicles, Tanding suggested that when going around their desired destinations in the city, they must use the existing public transport so as not to contribute in the long line of motor vehicles in the tourist spots awaiting for their turn to be able to park in the limited parking spaces around the city.
The police officer explained traffic enforcers and police auxiliaries can only do so much in decongesting the main roads from the monstrous traffic jams that happen almost daily but most of the ways to ease the said congestions are to be done by the motorists and pedestrians that is why what is important is for everyone to cooperate and observe the rules and regulations that are being imposed in the said roads to allow everyone to reach their desired destination in the city without being caught into traffic every portion of the way.
He said BCPO personnel are always ready to extend whatever assistance available to the areas where motor vehicles encounter traffic for them to be able to reach their desired destination on time.
By Dexter A. See
Banner photo by ARMANDO M. BOLISLIS
