DRIVERS and operators of passenger jeepneys plying Dagupan scored a small moral victory when the city council agreed to hold a 30-day experiment as a compromise on their petition for the suspension of the city’s Comprehensive Traffic Ordinance, particularly on fines for traffic violators.

Councilor Alfie Fernandez explained the details and implications of the 30-day experiment as approved by the city council last week to the members of the Alliance of United Transport Organizations Provincewide (AUTOPro) headed by Benny Aquino last Thursday in Bonuan Gueset.

Specifically, AUTOPro asked that the P100 fine imposed in the ordinance for the first offense be maintained for succeeding offenses in lieu of the P300 and P500 fines for second and third offenses, respectively.

They aired their petition during a public hearing last week conducted by Councilor Karlos Reyna, chair of the committee on public utilities.

The group argued that the present policy is too stiff especially at this time when prices of diesel and other fuel continue to rise.

Aquino revealed that among all local government units, Dagupan charges the highest for traffic violations, which if continued can eventually kill the public transport industry in the city.

The Public Order and Safety Office reportedly keeps close track of traffic violations, and it interprets the present fine policy as a continuing offense year to year, meaning if one is caught by POSO this year and again caught next year, the offense would be considered a second offense and the driver has to pay fine of P300.

AUTOPro complained that without a yearly cut-off period, all drivers will end up paying P500 fines in time.

According to Fernandez, the city council offered as a compromise a 30-day experiment to monitor the violations of drivers with the end view of determining the merits of the fine system. However, all violations recorded with the 30-day period will still be subject to the present schedule of fines.

Hence, a driver is caught for second or third violation in a month will still have to pay P300 and P500 fines. But a 30-day cut-off period will be in effect to stop the continuing application of the fines on violations as 2nd and 3rd offenses if these do not occur within the same month. All first violations for each month will only cost the erring driver P100 fine.

The drivers said they are happy with the compromise and vowed to be more disciplined when driving through the city’s streets commuting passengers.—LM

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