Council studying hike in illegal parking fines

CEBU - The Cebu City Council is now studying a proposal raising to P5,000 the fines to be imposed against any motorists who are caught parking in undesignated areas.

Councilor Raul Alcoseba, chairman of the City Council committee on traffic management, believes that the existing P100 fine for the violators of the ordinance that prohibits illegal parking is no longer effective.

“Decades had elapsed since the enactment of the Traffic Code on May 7, 1973 and the penalty imposed therein became relatively lower or insignificant that it no longer serves as deterrent in committing acts in transgression of said law,” Alcoseba said.

He said it is imperative to impose stiffer penalty, including the towing of any violating vehicle, in order to curb the practices of wanton and blatant indiscriminate parking of vehicles.

In his proposed ordinance, Alcoseba said if a violator opts not to be criminally prosecuted in court and agreed to pay the fine, he is required to pay P500 to the city treasurer’s office or to the Traffic Violations Bureau.

If motorists are willing to admit their offense but they have no money to pay for their fines, Alcoseba said they are required to render community service to be supervised by the traffic authorities for four hours. But this penalty can be served only once.

Should the complaint has already been filed in court, violators still can amicably settle the case by paying P2,000 and he is also required to attend traffic seminar.

The ordinance also allows traffic authorities to tow the vehicles to the city’s impounding area and authorizes the enforcers to open the vehicles to conduct inventory of the items inside.

But many vehicle owners have strongly reacted to one of the provisions of the proposed ordinance that the “City of Cebu or any of its officials, employees shall not be liable for any damages on the subject vehicle that may result or may occur in connection with its inspection, or towing, or with its custody or charge while in the impounding area.”

The council agreed to refer the proposed ordinance to the committee on laws, ordinances and good government chaired by Councilor Edgardo Labella. - Rene U. Borromeo/LPM (THE FREEMAN)