The Quezon City Task Force for Transport and Traffic Management has launched ‘Bayanihan sa Lansangan’ which will dispatch more buses in Commonwealth Avenue.

Aside from the severe traffic, there are also not enough buses for an estimated 30,000 – 40,000 commuters in the area.

Rene Hanolino, one of the commuters, said he spends time just waiting for a bus ride every morning.

“Mga 15 minutes, pinakamatagal na sa akin iyon, pag-aabang. Kasi talagang madami namang pasahero. Tiyaga lang naman (Around 15 minutes, that is the longest time I’ve waited because there are a lot of passengers. It takes patience),” he said.

During the first day of the implementation on Tuesday (Aug 20), authorities directed the passengers to where they should wait for buses.

Traffic czar of Quezon City Task Force For Transport And Traffic Management Ariel Inton said the heavy crowd of passengers waiting for a ride have begun to block the roads.

“Sa dami nila, bumabara sa mga private vehicles. Iyong mga bus naman, sinasalubong nila kasi dumadating dito iyong mga bus, punuan na (Because of their sheer number, they block the private vehicles. Other passengers try to get ahead by catching the bus before it reaches the stop, so its already full by the time it gets there ),” he said.

Inton added that the ‘Bayanihan sa Lansangan’ will be able to provide enough buses for passengers.—AAC (with reports from Asher Cadapan Jr.)

Even before the 60-day deadline set by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Marikina City has cleared 100 percent of the streets and sidewalks in the city.

“Ang ginagawa ng Marikina ngayon ay maintenance na.  Based on the assesment sa compliance team ng DILG sa Marikina complied na ang Marikina at tapos na ang Marikina sa clearing of sidewalks and road ways [What Marikina is doing now is maintenance. Based on the assessment of the DILG compliance team, Marikina has complied with the clearing of sidewalks and road ways],” Mayor Marcy Teodoro said.

The DILG ordered the local government to submit a report stating the measures they took to clear the roads and sidewalks.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano said that what the Marikina City is doing, and even what it has done in the past, is worth emulating.

“Ang maganda sa Marikina paglabas mo ng bangketa hindi na sayo yan, pagaari na ng publiko yan kaya walang hari ng bangketa dun.  Kaya dapat masundan natin ginawa ng Marikina [What is great about Marikina is that once you step out to the sidewalk, it’s not part of your property anymore. It’s owned by the public so no one can be a bully and own it. So we really need to follow what Marikina has done],” Ano added.

Meanwhile, the Quezon City government has cleaned up 80 barangays in the past three weeks since the DILG ordered it.

QC mayor Joy Belmonte said it was a tall order for them to maintain the roads and the sidewalks free from obstruction.

To address this, the local government will implement a stricter policy against illegal parking.

“Mag pi-print tayo ng maraming violation tickets. Tiket lang ng ticket. Tingin ko that is a good solution para masanay sila. Kung magviolate sila ng mag violate eh seryoso tayo ipenalized sila. [We will print many violation tickets. We will issue tickets left and right. I think that is a good solution for them to get used to it. If they will violate repeatedly, we will show them we are serious to penalize them], Belmonte said.

“Nagpabili na rin ako ng maraming wheel clamping devices para mag wheel clamping na tayo [I have also ordered to purchase as many wheel-clamping devices so we can already do wheel clamping (on vehicles)],” she added.

As she promised last week, the QC government demolished the barangay hall of Damayang Lagi in a clearing operation conducted on Friday, together with the DILG and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Dmayang Lagi officials are now temporarily holding office at an improvised container van.

Belmonte said they still need to demolish 17 more barangay halls in the entire city to decongest the streets.

The group also destroyed a police traffic sector in Balintawak as it causes traffic congestion in the area.

The DILG will once again meet with the metro mayors for the assessment of their clearing operations and identify areas that are yet to be developed by the local governments. (from the report of Joan Nano) /mbmf

The Quezon City government is proposing to use parking spaces in malls as a solution to the illegal parking problem in the city.

This was after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) imposed a 60-day deadline for city mayors to conduct road clearing in their respective cities.

According to Quezon City Traffic Chief Atty. Ariel Inton, this can be a solution to the illegal parking problem in the city. However, Inton said parking fares should be low.

“Ang mga challenge niyan, number one kailangan kung may sisingilin mababa. Number two, iyong mga tao mismo dapat masanay sa ganoon, konting lakad lang naman ito, (The challenge is, number one, the parking fares should be low. Number two, the people should get used to it, it’s just a short walk),” he said.

The Quezon City government is also looking for vacant private lots which can also be used as parking spaces.

Meanwhile, the city government continues to conduct clearing operations. On Tuesday (Aug 13), authorities issued violation tickets to illegally parked vehicles along the streets of Barangay Socorro.—AAC (with reports from Joan Nano)