In keeping with its mandate to promote the general welfare of the public and enhance peace and order in the City of Bacoor, the Sangguniang Panlungsod recently collated the suggestions of various stakeholders related to traffic management within the city with the end view of using the same as basis for the revision of the existing Bacoor Traffic Code (City Ordinance No. 2013-047) and other related city ordinances.
Six inter-related issues pertaining to traffic management are now being jointly heard by all the committees of the City Council so as to ensure that a comprehensive and effective solution to Bacoor’s traffic gridlocks during rush hours is found as soon as possible. Some of the suggestions now being studied by the Sanggunian are the following: (a) amendment of the existing regulations on the grant of franchises to tricycles, (b) issuance of inter-city franchises in favor of public utility tricycles plying between Bacoor City and Imus City, (c) one peso increase in the minimum fare for tricycles proposed by various tricycle operators, and the (d) formulation of a system that will protect passengers from fare over charging by unscrupulous tricycle drivers.
It may be recalled that in a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) released on February of this year, it was revealed that the worsening traffic problem in Metro Manila costs the national economy at least P3.5 billion in lost opportunities per day. This enormous figure does not include lost economic opportunities caused by traffic jams in areas outside of Metro Manila such as Bacoor City and other local government units.
Due to the severe impact of unmitigated traffic management problems to the local and national economy, the Sangguniang Panlungsod has reached out to various stakeholders to submit their respective position papers on how to solve the said problems which would then be used by the Council in revising various provisions of the Bacoor Traffic Code. It is estimated that the final committee report on the said matter shall be submitted to the Council floor before the end of October 2018.