Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar has allowed tricycles to pass along the national highways for humanitarian considerations contrary to the DILG order to ban tricycles and pedicabs along the national highways.
Councilor Elbert Atilano, Chairman, SP Committee on Road Safety and Traffic Management said that tricycle operators and drivers have earlier complained of losing their livelihood if they will be banned from passing along the highways because city and barangay roads are connected to national roads.
Atilano said the tricycle task force has already presented to the mayor the tricycle route plan.
The councilor is considering a proposal to put up a yellow lane assigned for three-wheeled vehicles only.
Atilano said there is also a city ordinance which sets a 40-kph speed limit to four-wheel vehicles that weighs at least four tons or above that the tricycles can be allowed to use.
He said the City Legal has used this ordinance as basis for allowing the tricycles on national highways.
“Our City Legal Office has used this ordinance as basis because the mayor does not want the tricycle drivers to lose their livelihood. We follow the law but we also consider humanitarian reasons,” Atilano said.
The DILG issued Memorandum Circular 2020-036 on February 17 prohibiting tricycles, pedicabs and motorized pedicabs from operating in national highways.
Under the said memorandum, all DILGs are directed to review all existing tricycle and pedicab routes within their areas of jurisdiction and create a task force to create a tricycle route plan.