I once got apprehended in Cebu City for a traffic violation. I did not turn left when I should have had. I tried to make a plea about being from Dumaguete and not being used to traffic regulations but to no avail and ended up paying a stiff five hundred peso fine.
This experience also left a firm resolve to be more mindful of Cebu’s rules and about observing those to the letter because I realized then that unlike Dumaguete’s Traffic Management Office, Cebu’s CITOM (City Traffic Operations Management) means business. There was no bargaining with them and that is exactly how it should be here in our city.
We all violate traffic and parking rules here one way or another. I bend the rules when I had to. I stop where I should not and even park/wait next to “No Parking” signs. And sometimes, when really desperate for a parking spot, I have been known to park at the wrong side of the road, the one facing the oncoming traffic even though I knew that to be a big no-no.
And why do I have the audacity to do these?
It is because I could get away with my little violations. There is no other way of putting this in a nice way. Here in Dumaguete, I could get away with them.
Except for one time several years ago, I have never been apprehended and have never had to pay any fine. And so I go about my merry little way through the streets of Dumaguete.
Most of us think like I do. It is not like we are selling shabu, right? And there is practically no parking space so we park where we could. Or sometimes, we would say, I’m just “waiting” and I won’t be long. See my blinkers? They’re on. And I’m still inside so I’m not really “parked”.
And so it is that guilty me and all like-minded drivers out there collectively contribute to this horrendous situation we now call the Dumaguete traffic.
How do we solve this? Our traffic problem is a complex, multi-layered dilemma that could not be solved with one broad stroke. Careful study and proper planning and financing are called for. Cooperation and compromises between the public and private sectors have to be made. Innovative minds have to come together to achieve the near-impossible, considering that Dumaguete streets are not getting any bigger and new vehicles are rolling in every day.
In my mind though, there is one thing that would really help. If the local government toughens up and makes it clear that it means business, every one of us will stop toeing the lines. No excuses. No exceptions.
If we are all made to face the consequences of our little transgressions through very, very stiff fines, we would all start thinking twice before breaking any of those rules.
This would mean more TMO personnel in the streets consistently and fearlessly implementing the necessary regulations. This would mean a system that follows up and ensures that fines are paid under threat of heavier penalties.
This would mean a bigger inconvenience to us vehicle owners .
I would not mind that last part. I am willing to make compromises of my own if it would mean better traffic conditions. If what I have in mind is imposed fairly and consistently on everybody, with no exceptions whatsoever even to the high and mighty in our society, no, I would not mind at all.
________________________________
Author’s email: olgaluciauy@yahoo.com
