TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The technical working group (TWG) of the city’s Traffic Management Council is now on the final stages of crafting the city’s comprehensive Traffic Management Plan (TMP) which details long-term solutions and policy changes to address Tabuk’s traffic woes.
One of the major solutions the TWG proposed in the three-year plan is the installation of traffic lights along the city’s main thoroughfares to control traffic.
The TWG, in its meeting on March 16, identified ten locations, mostly in front of schools and establishments prone to traffic, that will be prioritized for traffic signalization in the next three years.
The TWG also recommends amending the city’s traffic code. Officials have said the law, which was enacted 13 years ago, is outdated with some provisions no longer applicable to the city’s road network which have since undergone massive expansion.
Another solution detailed in the TMP is the implementation of one-way parking and paid parking system in selected areas.
Also included in the TMP is the designation and marking of pedestrian ways, bikeways, and motorcycle lanes.
To strengthen enforcement, activities were also included for the deputization of personnel of the police, Public Order and Safety Office, and the barangays as traffic enforcers.
Additionally, to support authorities in managing traffic, the TMP proposed the construction of a building for the Tabuk City Police Station’s Traffic Management Unit with enough space for an impounding area.
Considering that most traffic accidents are caused by drivers who are ignorant of traffic laws, massive information and education campaigns targeting private car owners, public utility vehicles drivers, tricycle operators and drivers’ associations, and even students are also planned for the next three years.
Once finished, the TMP will be presented to the Tabuk City Traffic Management Council chaired by Mayor Darwin Estrañero and subsequently presented for approval at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
It will be recalled that Mayor Estrañero created the Tabuk City Traffic Management Council (TCTMC) in March last year by virtue of Executive Order no. 13 series of 2021 to fix the city’s traffic problems including rampant road accidents.
