Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay ordered the city’s Public Safety Department to intensify its road clearing operation to further improve the flow of traffic in the city’s major thoroughfares.
Recent operation conducted in close coordination with members of the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic from Jan. 2 to 13 resulted in the apprehension of 600 vehicles, most of them illegally parked on main streets in the city.
Parking violators were apprehended at Mantrade, Pasong Tamo, A.P. Reyes St. to Kalayaan Avenue, Malugay St. corner Ayala Avenue, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, and Arnaiz Avenue. Other offenders were caught along Valdez St., Burgos St., and J.P. Rizal St. in Brgy. Poblacion; S. Javier St. and Evangelista St. in Brgy. Pio del Pilar; Edison St. in Brgy. San Isidro, and various streets in Brgys. Comembo and Bangkal.
Other violations recorded in the joint operations during the said period included driving without transport I.D., driver’s license, seatbelt and helmet and violation of the dress code; illegal terminals and colorum tricycles; obstruction of roads; illegal counter flow; coding violation; disregarding lane markings; illegal display of signboard; and violation of the restriction on open mufflers.
Binay said the city government needed to be relentless in promoting order and discipline on the streets, given the heavy vehicular volume in the city especially during rush hours.
“As it is, our roads are already congested. We have seen how even a minor traffic offense or an improperly parked car can lead to a major traffic gridlock because of the sheer volume of vehicles. Leniency with disobedient motorists is, therefore, not an option in Makati,” she said
With the four entry and exit points of Makati—Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Circumferential Road -5, Osmeña Highway and Roxas Boulevard, around 2.7-million vehicles use the city roads daily, 78 percent of which is passing-through traffic, according to a recent study.
Last December, the City Council approved new traffic management systems and parking guidelines in Barangays Carmona, San Antonio, and Tejeros in District I, and Barangays Cembo and Comembo in District 2, with the support of the mayor.
“We are determined to give teeth to our city ordinances and ensure their effective enforcement. We also constantly review these policies to identify any provisions which need to be revised and updated to address current needs and emerging issues,” Binay said.
As mandated by City Ordinances 2017 – 136, 139, 140, and 141, the “no parking” policy will be enforced at all times on streets in certain barangays.
In Barangay Carmona, these are E. Rodriguez St., D. Benito St., Guizon St., and E. Pascua St.
In Barangay Tejeros: J.P. Rizal Ave., Pasong Tamo St., Pasong Tirad St., (from J.P. Rizal St. to Davila St.), A.P. Reyes Ave., Primo Rivera St., F. Nazario St., Kalayaan Ave., Metropolitan Ave., Primo Rivera St., and H. Santos St.
In Barangay San Antonio: Bagtikan St., Alley from Sampaloc St. to Banuyo St., Estrella St., and Talisay St.
In Barangay Comembo: Sampaguita St., Chico St., Aguho St., and Lanzones St (from Sampaloc thru J.P. Rizal).
Meanwhile, the new regulations for Barangay Cembo have specified that blind corners marked with a yellow box will not allow vehicular parking at all times.