ILOILO City – The city government traffic office is moving to formalize a no-parking arrangement along Bonifacio Drive after motorists disregarded an earlier agreement to keep the major thoroughfare clear, forcing authorities to clamp vehicles that remained parked despite warnings.
The Iloilo City Traffic and Transportation Management Office (ICTTMO) said several vehicles were found parked on Aug. 30 along Bonifacio Drive in front of a religious institution and across the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, despite a previous understanding that vehicles attending major activities in the area should use designated parking spaces instead.
ICTTMO head Uldarico Garbanzos said the office is now considering putting the arrangement in writing and coordinating with its legal team to strengthen compliance.
“We will put it in writing as another reminder. Hopefully, we will not sacrifice the road because the parked vehicles are really causing obstruction,” he said.
Garbanzos said the ICTTMO had earlier engaged religious institutions in the area and agreed that vehicles attending major activities could instead use the Iloilo Provincial Capitol parking area in Muelle Loney.
“We engaged with religious institutions and asked that whenever they have major activities, we allow them to park at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol in the Muelle Loney area,” Garbanzos said.
The arrangement was intended to prevent vehicles from occupying Bonifacio Drive and disrupting traffic, particularly passenger jeepneys loading and unloading commuters.
“The initiative was for them to secure permission to use the Capitol parking area during Sunday or weekend activities because when they park here at Bonifacio Drive, even though it is a weekend, it still causes obstruction and slows down our passenger jeepneys,” he said.
Garbanzos said parked vehicles eat up available road space, forcing jeepneys to pick up and drop off passengers in the middle of the road.
“The jeepneys are loading and unloading in the middle, and this really causes a slowdown,” he said.
He stressed that the vehicles found along Bonifacio Drive on Aug. 30 violated the previous understanding reached with the concerned groups.
“The agreement was that there should no longer be vehicles parked there because they were already allowed to park at the Capitol,” Garbanzos said.
WARNINGS, CLAMPING
The ICTTMO had also deployed its clamping team to the area to warn motorists, but some vehicles were left behind and eventually clamped.
“Our clamping team went there and issued warnings, but there were still vehicles left behind that had to be clamped,” he said.
Garbanzos said the traffic office had previously asked that the parking arrangement be disseminated among members of the religious sector to prevent a recurrence during major activities.
“We already engaged with them, we discussed it, and everybody agreed,” he said.
KEEPING A MAJOR ROUTE CLEAR
Garbanzos emphasized that roadside parking cannot be allowed to compromise Bonifacio Drive because it is one of the principal routes used by motorists entering and leaving the City Proper.
“Bonifacio Drive is a main thoroughfare. This is the route used by vehicles going into and out of the City Proper,” he said.
The ICTTMO is also implementing traffic management measures near the Hall of Justice, including barriers designed to direct pedestrians toward designated crossing areas.
The traffic office urged motorists attending activities near Bonifacio Drive to use designated parking spaces, including the Capitol parking area when authorized, rather than occupy the roadside./PN
