THE Mandaue City Council called on the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) to apprehend smoke belchers or those whose vehicles discharge excessive fumes of smoke.
Councilor Nilo Seno submitted a resolution requesting Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing to order TEAM to crack down on smoke belchers, saying these are detrimental to the health of passersby.
Paragraph two of Section 15 of the city’s 1986 Traffic Code states that no one “shall operate a motor vehicle on a public highway or street unless the vehicle’s motor and/or exhaust system is equipped and adjusted to prevent discharge of excessive fumes or smoke . . .”
Seno said smoke emission tests on motor vehicles are unreliable because operators can always adjust the smoke emission capacity of their vehicles to pass the test and readjust it once it’s done.
Seno said the crackdown on smoke belchers is significant in light of Mandaue City’s selection as a low carbon model town of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
TEAM chief Glenn Antigua said he will review the Traffic Code to know the penalties for smoke belchers.