Traffic Discipline Zone: 26 ‘jeepney stops’ along Diversion Road mulled

ILOILO City – The city government plans to build 26 waiting sheds along the 14-kilometer Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue (Diversion Road) in Mandurriao District.

The sheds will serve as jeepney stops – points where jeepneys can pick up and unload passengers, said Mayor Jerry Treñas.

The plan is part of the Traffic Discipline Zone being piloted on the avenue and launched on Jan. 17.

“We need jeepney passengers to orderly line up for a ride,” said Treñas. 

The mayor wanted the Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue to be a showcase of transport and pedestrian discipline.

“We want to demonstrate that here in Iloilo City we follow traffic rules and regulations,” said Treñas.

According to Engineer Salvador Pedregosa, officer-in-charge of the City Engineer’s Office, the waiting sheds would be built within this year.

“Mayor Treñas already directed the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) to identify the locations,” said Pedregosa.

During the launching of the Traffic Discipline Zone, Treñas announced that for three days beginning with the launch, the PSTMO would be conducting a massive information drive on what the Traffic Discipline Zone is all about – the strict enforcement of all traffic rules and regulations, both local and national.

“The apprehension of undisciplined drivers and pedestrians would start after the three-day information drive,” said Treñas.

PSTMO is augmented by personnel from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).

He lamented that as the city progressed, the traffic situation was becoming unmanageable primarily because drivers and pedestrians were disobeying traffic laws. These included the speed limit ordinance, the ordinance against modified mufflers, points where to load and unload passengers, the law on the use of helmets and other body protective gears by motorcycle riders and the maximum number of back riders allowed, the law on the use of seatbelts, the law on the non-use of cellphones while driving and clearing of windshields from gadgets that directly distract the driver’s line of sight, among others.

PSTMO chief Jeck Conlu said his office has five speed guns to catch overspeeding vehicles, another one from the LTO, and five breath analyzers to detect if drivers have too much alcohol intake.

After the Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue, next to be made a “traffic discipline zone” is McArthur Drive from Barangay Tabuc Suba, Jaro district to Barangay Balantang./PN

2 COMMENTS

  1. Nowhere here do I see the reason at least three people died recently on Circumferential Road- not observing (OR ENFORCING) the law that says you must stop for a pedestrian in the designated crosswalk. In fact if you do stop – the other cars do not – so you get to watch as the pedestrians narrowly miss getting hit because other speeding drivers cannot see around your stopped car. NOWHERE are there LTO enforcing this existing critical law – instead they install vibration bumps at the scene of pedestrian deaths or just hide in the shady spots making half hearted hand waving at oncoming traffic. THE LAWS EXIST – THE ENFORCEMENT DOESN’T

    • Fact! And this is true throughout the city. Sidewalks are used as personal parking must also be enforced so pedestrians do not put their lives in jeopardy die to laziness of drivers.

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