THE Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) has began enforcing the Anti-Jaywalking Ordinance last Monday in a bid to address the traffic problems in the city.
During the first day of implementation, TEAM has issued citation tickets to 51 people for jaywalking and apprehended 1,378 individuals for the no-stopping and parking violations all over Mandaue, according to TEAM head Glenn Antigua.
Some Mandauehanons welcomed the move as a sure way to keep the public safe and maintain orderliness in the streets of Mandaue, while others, especially those apprehended, complained that the reinforcement of the ordinance came too soon and that they were not informed about it ahead of time.
Christy Torres, 46, told Cebu Daily News that she has no problem about the new ordinance as this corresponds to safety.
The ordinance titled “Establishing the rights and duties of pedestrians” was passed in 2000. Since the ordinance was revived, the 67-year-old Estrella Alinsog now feels secure when crossing the roads everytime she fetches her grandchild from the St. Joseph Academy along A. Del Rosario Street in Barangay Centro.
While changes in rules and regulations seem a little unpleasant at first, the TEAM observed that some Mandauehanons seem to have a hard time comprehending the rule. “Some of them insisted on jaywalking despite seeing us enforcers signaling them to go back,” a traffic personnel said.
Under the ordinance, violators will have to pay a fine of P20 to P500 and may be imprisoned for a day or so depending on the decision of the court.