Task force to beef up Mandaue traffic team

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes said he will create a task force comprised of police officers and traffic enforcers to ensure smooth traffic flow in the city’s streets.

He said traffic enforcers will team up with Mandaue City police who can issue temporary operators permit (TOP) to discipline erring drivers.

“We can tap the police as a multiplying factor in enforcing our traffic rules. With only our citation tickets, drivers just laugh at them,” Cortes said in yesterday’s press conference.

Edwin Ermac, Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM) chief, earlier confirmed that their traffic enforcers face either ridicule or harassment from public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers who were issued citation tickets.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) earlier required deputized agents in Cebu to surrender their temporary operators permit (TOP), ID cards and mission orders in June last year.

The LTO issued the memorandum to ensure a uniform implementation of Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2014-01, which raises all fines for traffic violations.

Citation tickets carry a P200 fine while TOPs impose a P1,000 fine.

Costs
Earlier, Cebu business leaders complained about the worsening traffic in Cebu which resulted in higher operational costs. Despite the traffic situation, Ayala Center Cebu management claims that foot and vehicular traffic continue to increase at the mall.

“However, we have implemented measures such as deploying traffic marshals at busy intersections, assigning attendants for taxis and ensuring order at the public utility terminal,” they said.

RJ Leduna, SM Group public relations vice president for Visayas and Mindanao said the traffic congestion didn’t impact on their sales.