Time to rein in motorcycle riders

Some motorcycle riders are opposed to a proposed ordinance in Mandaue City that seeks to ban the wearing of ski masks, bonnets and other face or head gear that tend to obscure or conceal the faces of riders, thereby making identification difficult or impossible. The proposal is a security measure that seeks to address growing incidences of crimes committed by persons on board motorcycles. It also helps quick identification in cases of accidents.

In other words, it is a good proposal that deserves to become an ordinance and the city council of Mandaue should approve it quickly. And while the council needs to conduct public hearings, it should not be deterred by any opposition, no matter how noisy. The oppositors are not many. In fact motorcycle riders who actually wear the types of head and face gear in question make up only a small minority at any time on the road. Besides, the ordinance, if okayed, applies only in Mandaue.

To be sure, there is a real purpose in wearing the head and face gear in question. Roads in the Philippines, not just in Cebu, are dusty. To be on the road on a motorcycle anywhere in the Philippines for a certain period of time can be a choking hell indeed. Moreover, the climate is hot and to do some motorcycle riding out in the open, one certainly needs some form of protection.

But considering that the proposed ordinance applies only in Mandaue City, then the time of exposure to the elements is considerably less. Mandaue City after all is just a very small city. In fact, in the entire province of Cebu, it is the second smallest local government unit in size, next only to the smallest, which is the municipality of Cordova.

On the other hand, the security benefits to be derived from enacting the measure far outweighs the concerns posed by a few motorcycle riders. A really good measure cannot and must not be held hostage simply because a few discordant voices happen to say so. Wisdom and practical sense ought to prevail, if not all the time, then at least in this instance.

Besides, the motorcycle-riding sector is not exactly a paragon of road courtesy and law obedience that might merit a soft heart of consideration from lawmakers everywhere. Motorcycle riders often make their own rules on the road and disregard those already laid out by law-making bodies. Perhaps it is time regulations are passed that have a fair degree of expected success in the implementation. If other rules cannot rein in motorcycle riders, maybe this one will.