Mayor Evelio Leonardia has formed a task force that will rationalize the authorized routes of tricycles and pedicabs in the city to effectively ban these vehicles from national highways.
The mayor’s directive, which is stated in Executive Order 10, is in line with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular 2020-036, which mandates the creation of a task force, separate and distinct from the tricycle board or unit of the city, if already organized.
Secretary to the Mayor Edward Joseph Cuansing said on Thursday the body will come up with a tricycle route plan to determine if there is a need to amend related ordinances. “Our ordinances should jibe with the DILG Memorandum Circular 2020-036,” he said.
Under the said DILG directive, local government units are ordered to strictly implement the ban on tricycles, pedicabs and motorized pedicabs on national highways and to create a tricycle task force that will draw up a tricycle route plan in their respective areas.
“Tricycles with valid franchise or permit cannot be apprehended until such time the ordinances are amended. However, units that have no franchise will be seized by police officers or personnel of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO),” Cuansing said.
At present, three areas in Bacolod are actually covered by an ordinance allowing tricycles plying their routes to traverse national highways.
Lt. Col. Luisito Acebuche, chief of BTAO, said a total of 121 motor tricycles and electric tricycles have been apprehended by traffic enforcers since Monday.
“We are conducting intensive operations. It is better now with the DILG order, the local government can work together with other agencies such as the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group,” he added.
Most tricycles usually traverse the city’s two major national highways – Lacson and Araneta Streets.
The Bacolod City Tricycle Task Force is chaired by Leonardia himself with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran as co-chairperson and Col. Henry Biñas, city police director, as vice-chairperson.
The body will conduct meetings, public consultations and hearings with stakeholders, and surveys/ocular inspections that will focus on rationalizing the authorized routes, identification of national roads, and determination of the portions of the national highway presently used or proposed to be traversed by tricycles, if alternative routes are not available.
As directed by the DILG, it will draft or update the tricycle route plan (TRP) within 30 days after issuance of the order, which is Feb. 24, 2020.
The TRP will be the basis of a subsequent ordinance or its amendment in case one has already been passed. (Nanette Guadalquiver ndb via pna)