CCTO: COUNTERFLOW MEASURE TO FULLY START TOMORROW
Mayor Tomas Osmeña signed EO 034 last Friday
Starting tomorrow, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) will start impounding vehicles that are caught counter-flowing.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña signed Executive Order (EO) 034, which allows the city traffic group to impound for 30 days the vehicles of drivers who will be caught counter-flowing.
EO 034 prohibits reckless driving pursuant to existing laws and provides sanctions, which was took effect immediately after the mayor signed it.
CCTO Operations Chief Francisco Ouano said although the EO was signed by Osmeña last Friday, they prefer to implement it tomorrow as more vehicles are expected to be on the road.
Under Section 1 of the EO, the order will cover all forms of reckless driving, but particularly driving left or more commonly known as counterflow, as defined under Republic Act 4136 or the Traffic Code of the Philippines and City Ordinance 801 or the Traffic Code of Cebu City.
Only emergency vehicles that are legitimately using their sirens are exempted from the implementation of the EO, Osmeña said.
“It is a public knowledge that common on the road of Cebu City are rampant violations of the basic rules and regulations on traffic and road use. Most annoying of all these traffic violations are reckless driving, most specifically what is known as driving left or counter-flowing, which to the mind of the general public is not only a brazen disregard of basic road courtesy or respect, but as cold display of indifference to the safety and well-being of the road users,” read portion of the EO.
The vehicle’s being impounded for a month will be at no cost to the owner.
Aside from impounding, the City Legal Office, in coordination with the traffic group, is directed to form a prosecution team to run after or file the necessary administrative, civil and criminal charges against the violators.