Bacolod City – The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod is requesting the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) through Major Junji Liba to strictly enforce the Bacolod City Anti-Jaywalking Ordinance.
The resolution authored by Councilor Claudio Puentevella said Bacolod City Ordinance No. 338 defines and penalizes jaywalking as an act of crossing the street outside marked crosswalk or pedestrian crossing or underneath a pedestrian overpass and in the absence of such mark, crossing the street or highway except at the corner of the intersection, as nearly as possible at the right angle perpendicular to the intersection; crossing the street or highway even within the marked crosswalk or pedestrian crossing without conforming with the hand signal of the policeman or traffic enforcer assigned at the intersection or contrary to the signal by other devices for regulating traffic; walking outside the sidewalk of a street so as to inconvenience, obstruct, hinder or prevent free passage of vehicles; and walking at the center of the center island of a street or highway as to obstruct, hinder or prevent free passage of vehicles.
It has been observed that most pedestrians in the streets of Bacolod City are violating the ordinance and numerous road accidents involving motorists and pedestrians, who are not using designated pedestrian crossing, were recorded for several months, some were even fatal, it said.
The strict enforcement of the anti-jaywalking ordinance may prevent any untoward road accidents in the future and protect both the pedestrians and motorists, and will deter the general public from committing jaywalking, the resolution added.
Meanwhile, a resolution requesting the Bacolod City Engineering Office, and the Department of Public Works and Highways through Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to conduct a feasibility study of installing pedestrian foot bridge near the Bacolod North Terminal and the Bata flyover, was approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod Wednesday.
The resolution authored by Puentevella said the Bacolod North Terminal caters hundreds of passengers everyday going to Bacolod City and from other parts of Northern Negros Occidental, to which some passengers are crossing the Bata flyover in order to ride jeepneys, taxis, PUJ/PUV, and buses.
It has come to the attention of the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod that numerous road mishap and road accidents, some even fatal, involving motorists and pedestrians traversing and crossing the Bata flyover were recorded for the past several months, it said.
The conduct of feasibility study for the installation of a pedestrian footbridge near the Bacolod North Terminal and Bata flyover will protect both motorists and pedestrians and prevent any untoward accidents, the resolution added. (Chrysee Semillano via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)
