Dagupan City to seriously implement traffic ordinance

DAGUPAN CITY – Mayor Belen T. Fernandez has ordered the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO), the City Action Service Team (CAST) and the newly created Task Force Arellano to immediately start implementing measures to decongest the heavy traffic being experienced daily along Arellano, Bonuan Gueset, Tapuac, Mayombo and Caranglaan.

TRAFFIC ANALYSIS. Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez presides last Thursday the Traffic Management Council held at the Stadia on how to solve the traffic congestion that bedevils motorists and commuters at Arellano, Bonuan Gueset, Tapuac, Mayombo and Caranglaan's areas. Mayor Fernandez coined with transport groups, police, representatives from universities, and other stakeholders the solutions to solve the snarl. Fernandez, in the past days, have been directly supervising and diligently analyzing the traffic situation in the City.
PHOTO AND CAPTION: Mortz C. Ortigoza

This after the successful Traffic Management Council meeting called by the mayor on July 14 between the city government and the different transport groups operating in the city, including different schools and universities.

Among the measures to be taken is the immediate implementation of the city’s anti-jaywalking ordinance in all principal streets of the city especially fronting different schools and universities and  also in the downtown areas.

At the same time, Fernandez advised members of the academe to inform their students to make use of the pedestrian lanes. The city is also considering the construction of another overpass along Arellano Street, especially along the vicinity of the University of Pangasinan Phinma.

She also ordered the apprehension of tricycles and Public Utility Vehicles without the necessary franchise and their owners penalized accordingly, and all 10-wheeler trucks will not be allowed to ply any street of the city from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

  CARLITO OCAMPO, Chief of the City Action Service Team (CAST) explains to Dagupan Mayor Belen Fernandez the ordinance that bar buses Victory Liner and Five Star to use the thoroughfare infront of their terminals as they aggravate the traffic snarl at Perez Boulevard. Ocampo explains the exception of Solid North buses to use the front road because the two rival liners block with concrete the back of its terminal. Victory Liner claimed that it bought the road there. PHOTO CAPTION: Mortz C. Ortigoza

Fernandez also gave the personnel of POSO, CAST and Task Force Arellano specific areas of assignment and concerns.

POSO will be in charge of managing the flow of traffic along Mayombo and Caranglaan; the Task Force Arellano will take the Arellano Streets down to Bonuan Gueset especially the area going to Tondaligan; while those personnel assigned along Tapuac will remain in the area.

“But we cannot do this alone. It is important that everyone will have self-discipline and will strictly take upon themselves the responsibility of obeying our traffic ordinances,” said Fernandez.

The meeting was attended by Councilors Jose Netu Tamayo and Alvin Coquia who were urged by Mayor Fernandez to study the possibility of passing an ordinance giving more stringent penalty for traffic violators.

Tamayo is the city council chairman of the committee on public matters and public information, while Coquia is the chairman of the committee on transportation and public utilities. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO/July 14, 2016)