TRAFFIC OFFICE ON ROAD TO ACHIEVING P100-M TARGET
As of last month, the Cebu City Traffic Office (CCTO) collected P66.1 million in various fees, fines and penalties compared to the P83.2 million it collected from the whole year in 2017: CCTO operations head Francisco Ouano
Despite intensified operations against erring motorists, illegal parking remains the top traffic violation in Cebu City.
As of August 2018, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) collected some P66.1 million in various fees, fines and penalties.
CCTO operations head Francisco Ouano said their collection has ballooned in comparison to the P83.2 million they collected from January to December last year.
The bulk of the collections for both 2017 and 2018 is from fines for illegal parking.
“Illegal parking is one of the main causes of and contributes to traffic. This time, we will clamp illegally-parked vehicles. Most of those we apprehended said there was an emergency, so we have to address the problem on a case-to-case basis. But cases of illegal parking have not gone down,” Ouano said in Cebuano.
The traffic office’s clamping services operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Ouano said they clamp an average of 100 vehicles daily for illegal parking. Those caught will have to pay a fine of P1,500.
The collection in clamping fines for the past eight months has already amounted to P11.4 million.
According to Ouano, most of the clamped vehicles were parked on Colon St. and on roads surrounding hospitals.
“Whenever we see an illegally-parked vehicle, we have to clamp it. As Mayor Tomas Osmeña said, ‘we don’t need your money, we only need the discipline of the driver. If the driver is present, then we ask him to leave. But if the vehicle is left by the side of the road, then we clamp it,” he added.
Aside from fines, CCTO also collected around P22.3 million from pay parking, and some P2.1 million in impounding fees as a result of the anti-counter-flowing measure.
Ouano said that their target for this year is to collect a total of P100 million.