MMC eyes higher illegal parking fines

MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Manila Council (MMC), composed of mayors of Metro Manila, yesterday decided to raise fines for illegal parking and extend the dry run of the high-occupancy vehicle policy along EDSA.

MMC chair Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, in a special executive meeting of the council, said that despite the efforts of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to “clear roads of obstructons, many of our countrymen are still hardheaded” and the higher fines are meant to “promote discipline.”

He said that subject to “public consultation,” the MMC plans to increase fines for unattended vehicles from P500 to P2,000 and attended vehicles from P200 to P1,000.

MMDA operations supervisor Bong Nebrija said the towing fee for illegally parked vehicles remains the same: P1,500 for light vehicles, P2,500 for medium vehicles and P4,500 for large vehicles.

HOV dry run extended

Meanwhile, the ban on driver-only vehicles will not be fully implemented until the MMDA and Congress resolve the issues surrounding the policy, which makes all lanes of EDSA HOV lanes.

The MMC passed a resolution suspending the policy and extending the dry run.

“We agreed that we should send a representative to talk to the senators and hopefully to President Duterte, to discuss if we would push through with the policy,” he added.

 The source noted that the dry run would continue “until the dialogue with the Senate and the Office of the President is finished.”

 MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim would write a letter to the Senate “allotting time for the dialogue,” he also said.

 Bautista said that they would wait for the assessment of the dry run.

 “We have to continue the dry run, know the findings of the MMDA and the affected local government units regarding the expanded HOV scheme on EDSA,” he said.

 He also declared that the MMDA and the cities of San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Makati and Taguig would “create a study from the test run to determine the impact of the (HOV lane) scheme on EDSA’s traffic flow.”

 MMDA general manager Jose Arturo Garcia urged motorists to participate in the dry run and engage in carpooling.

 A resolution previously filed by senators calling on the MMDA to suspend the execution of the HOV lane policy prompted the agency to do so after it received criticism from motorists.

On the other hand, senators aired their disappointment yesterday over the MMC’s insistence on continuing the dry run.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III warned the MMDA that this issue will definitely come up when the agency’s proposed budget for 2019 is taken up at the Senate later this year.

He said the MMDA should focus instead of clearing Metro Manila’s streets of illegally parked vehicles.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito said the MMDA should concentrate on promoting carpooling some other way.

Recto suggested designating a carpool lane along EDSA for the exclusive use of vehicles with two or more passengers.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who sponsored the resolution against the scheme, said he expects the MMDA to brief the senators on the issue.

Sen. Sonny Angara is keeping an open mind about the policy.

“Let’s observe how it works over the coming days. It will cause difficulty for the public but it may work. Certainly there are no quick and easy solutions to traffic,” he said. – Marvin Sy