The Metro Manila Council has approved the increase in fines for illegal parking in the National Capital Region.
This was revealed on Saturday by Metro Manila Development Authority spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Celine Pialago.
Pialago said the MMC, the MMDA’s governing board and policy-making body, made the decision to increase the penalty to further free all obstructions in alternate routes for effective implementation of the agency’s Expanded High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane policy on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue during rush hours from 7 am to 10 am and from 6 pm to 9 pm.
Quoting Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, chairman of the MMC Special Committee on Traffic, Pialago said subject to “public consultation”, the fine for attended illegally parked cars will be raised from P200 to P1,000 while unattended illegally parked cars will be fined from P300 to P2,000 in addition to the towing fee.
Last Friday, the MMDA announced it would continue enforcing the controversial traffic scheme that prohibits drivers without companions along Edsa despite calls from lawmakers and other sectors to stop from implementing it.
The MMDA said that areas where parking are prohibited include all national roads in Metro Manila; primary and secondary roads of cities and municipalities in Metro Manila that are within six meters of any intersection or curved lane; within four meters of driveways or entrances to any fire station, hospital, clinic and other similar establishment; within four meters of fire hydrants; on the roadside of any legally parked vehicle; on pedestrian crosswalks; in front of any authorized driveway; on the sidewalks, paths and alleys not intended for parking; at the foot or near bridges and at any place where official signs have been erected prohibiting parking and/or declared No Parking Zone by the MMDA such as the Mabuhay Lane, and Other areas duly declared as “No Parking Zone” provided by law or ordinances.
MMDA data showed that at least 45,236 vehicles were apprehended for illegal parking in 2017.
President Rodrigo Duterte, during his second State of the Nation Address, had said that he wants all roads in the country’s biggest cities cleared of all illegally-parked vehicles to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the metropolis.
He added that the government’s road and bridge projects will mean nothing if they will remain filled by illegally parked vehicles and other obstructions.
Duterte said he directed the MMDA and the local government units to immediately clear the roads and major thoroughfares of all unnecessary obstruction including vehicles parked on the street. He added he is planning to have a golden age of infrastructure under his term with big-ticket projects such as roads, airports, and bridges. The government is hoping that through this persistent campaign, it will be able to change the selfish behavior of most of these irresponsible drivers and individuals violating traffic rules.