To discipline motorists, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is mulling to file charges against vehicle owners for illegal parking of vehicles on secondary roads.
Tim Orbos, MMDA officer in charge, said they are studying the imposition of heavier penalty against vehicle owners who continue parking their vehicles despite repeated warning and clearing operations.
“What does that entail? We have to tell our motorists that if we have to file a case, we have other remedies there we can put them under watch list. Would you like that?,” said Orbos.
The MMDA official said an average of 80 to 100 vehicles are being hauled daily. Towed vehicles are brought to the agency’s impounding site in Tumana in Marikina and Julia Vargas in Pasig City. Some have been brought to Tarlac City.
“But the problem is towing it takes time, it takes resource, it takes a space which becomes also a point of obstruction of traffic. So, we are studying how on to try to really hasten our campaign,” said Orbos.
Officials of Inter-agency Council for Traffic (i-act) are also considering the possibility of making barangay leaders liable.
“We will be talking as an inter-agency to the barangay captains. We all know the solutions but the problem is implementation. We would urge them to enforce one-side parking. On the ground, double parking is just anywhere,” said Orbos. (Anna Liza Villas-Alavaren)