Baguio parking problem worsens; cars banned along Bokawkan Road

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan on Monday urged barangay officials to address the problem on parking along barangay roads by allotting available lots within their jurisdiction as a common parking space for lease to vehicle-owning residents.

           

This, as the city council Monday approved on third and final reading an ordinance prohibiting parking along Bokawkan Road from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

         

“I encourage the barangays to look for empty lots and designate the same as common parking spaces where vehicle owners can park for a fee.  This could solve the parking problem and at the same time become a revenue source for the barangays,” the mayor said.

            

He said the barangays could follow the lead of Pinsao Pilot and other barangays which designated a vacant lot as parking space for its residents saying the system has really worked for these barangays.

            

The mayor however asked residents with available spaces in their residences to prioritize the parking of their own vehicles within their properties to avoid adding to the problem.

            

But for those who really have no option for parking, the common parking area will be the best remedy, he said.  

            

He said barangay roads along with city and national roads must be cleared of parked vehicles as they are often used as alternate routes when main roads are saturated especially during rush hours.

            

The rampant parking along barangay roads has been blamed for traffic congestions and delay in the delivery of services like during garbage collection schedules and emergency situations like fire incidents.

           

This, as the parking ban along Bokawkan Road will cover all types of vehicles including government-owned ones on any portion of the road or sidewalk of the road now known as Buhagan Road.

Authored by Councilor Richard Carino, the measure will mete violators with a P1,000 fine.

Unattended vehicles left on the road or sidewalk shall be towed away or their plates removed.

“Buhagan Road is a major thoroughfare connecting the Central Business District  and several barangays in the City. It has been observed that vehicular traffic is impeded especially during daytime because of several vehicles, private and public, parked along the stretch of the road,” Carino noted. 

“Invoking the city government’s police power and the general welfare clause provided for under the Local Government Code, there is a need to regulate the flow of traffic in the said area.”