Committee chairman Sylvan "Jack" Jakosalem said he would present his proposed ordinance before the City Council next month, hoping that it would help minimize the traffic problems in the city.
The board of the City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM), where Jakosalem is one of its members, has pushed for such ordinance after observing that some building contractors cause traffic snarls due to the illegal parking of their heavy equipment and unloading of construction materials in front of their construction sites.
The proposed ordinance is in tune with fast pace of development, construction of buildings and other commercial structures that have sprouted within the city.
The apparent and blatant indiscriminate parking of vehicles, trucks and other heavy equipment on the roadway for purposes of loading and unloading or pouring of construction materials have caused inconvenience, hazard and peril, not only to motorists but also to pedestrians, the draft continues.
The CITOM called the attention of the contractor and foremen of a building being constructed at the corner of Leon Kilat and P. del Rosario Sts., because the flow of traffic in the area was badly affected. This is due to the illegal parking of a cement mixer and the unloading of truckloads of steel bars.
City Councilor Rodrigo "Bebot" Abellanosa owns the building.
The violations were however committed by the contractor, who failed to follow the rule that the filling and unloading of construction materials should be allowed only between 11 p.m. until 4 a.m. the following day. The rule further provides that the road should remain passable to vehicles and they must first secure temporary permit for it.
The CITOM board members tasked executive officer Arnel Tancinco to communicate with Abellanosa so he could advise his contractor not to commit the violations again and to inform the Office of the Building Official about the matter.
Abellanosa is constructing an Information Technology mall and a school in the area that many refer to as ABS since this was where the old studios of ABS-CBN were located.
Tancinco said the contractor - through his personnel - should take away any obstacles in the road or sidewalk before morning so it will not disturb the flow of traffic and force the pedestrians to use the road instead of the sidewalks.
On Monday last week, the traffic enforcers had to use one of the three lanes for the south-bound motorists for the north-bound vehicles, because the rightmost lane in front of the construction site was still occupied by the heavy equipment and truckloads of steel bars.
Aside from the illegal parking of vehicles and heavy equipment in front of construction sites, some members of the CITOM board also observed that the unloading of cargo by department stores, like at the V. Gullas formerly Manalili St. causes traffic problems.
The CITOM board wants this matter also incorporated in the proposed ordinance of Jakosalem. - Rene U. Borromeo