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MMDA, LTO and local traffic bureau heads approved the final draft of the Metro Manila Traffic Code on the proposed single ticketing system for driving violations in the metropolis
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The three parties, meeting as a technical working group, agreed on penalties for the final 20 most common traffic violations that will be imposed in all LGUs
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The proposed single ticketing system still has to be approved by the Metro Manila Council
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It is expected to be fully implemented within the first quarter
The Metro Manila Traffic Code on the proposed single ticketing system for driving violations in the National Capital Region has been approved by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Metro Manila local traffic bureaus on January 19.
The tripartite technical working group agreed on penalties for the final 20 most common traffic violation penalties that will be imposed uniformly in all Metro Manila local government units, as well as requirements for the LGUs’ interconnectivity with the LTO’s Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).
The proposed single ticketing system, which still has to be approved by the Metro Manila Council (MMC), is expected to be fully implemented within the first quarter, MMDA said in a statement.
MMDA acting chairman Don Artes said the single ticketing system will resolve some issues raised in the NCAP (no contact apprehension policy) petition pending in the Supreme Court, and issues on the confiscation of an erring driver’s license.
“The proposed system will also benefit motorists because it will provide ease of payment through digital payment channels that can be used by apprehended motorists anywhere,” Artes said.
He said MMDA will provide the fund for buying the hardware and IT requirements for a seamless and simultaneous rollout of the LGU’s integration with the LTMS.
“We will conduct an inventory of each of the LGUs with regards to their respective systems and equipment for the planned interconnectivity with the LTO database [to access] the motorists’ records,” Artes said.
“After a series of consultations with the LGUs and the transport sector, we have also finalized the standardized fines and penalties for the most common traffic violations such as disregarding traffic signs, illegal parking, and number coding, among others,” he added.
San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council president Francis Zamora said the Metro Manila Traffic Code will be discussed at the next MMC meeting.
“We are confident that the Metro mayors will pass a resolution approving this. After the council’s approval, each LGU will have to draft or amend its respective ordinances adapting standardized fines on the identified common traffic violations,” Zamora said.
Artes and Zamora, however, emphasized it is still up to the LGUs to create their own ordinances for other traffic-related offenses that are not stipulated in the traffic code as part of their local autonomy.
Meanwhile, LTO Regional Director Noreen San Luis Lutey said that LGU interconnectivity with the LTMS is mandated by law with the purpose of creating a single database for traffic violations across the metropolis.
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