LTO to relocate vehicle checks in Beckel, La Trinidad to ease traffic

By Dexter A. See

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Top officials of the regional Cordillera Land Transportation Office told Baguio City government officials the agency will help address worsening traffic congestions here by starting such initiative in their own compound in the city.

LTO-CAR regional director Francis Ray Almora said one of the priorities of his office is to relocate inspection area of motor vehicles subject to registration or renewal of registration to a portion of its impounding area in nearby Beckel, La Trinidad, Benguet so no vehicle will be parked along Leonard Wood road and the road leading to its compound that contribute to traffic congestion in the area.

He said the portion of the agency’s impounding area will have to be graveled first to prevent motor vehicles from being stalled in the muddy portion of the property, especially during the rainy season.

“We want to contribute in the efforts of the city government to significantly improve the flow of traffic along roads in the different parts of the city thus we decided to transfer our inspection area to a portion of our impounding area in Beckel to prevent motor vehicles from lining up along Leonard Wood Road and the road leading to our compound which contribute to the daily traffic woes of our motorists,” Almora said.

The LTO-CAR official said instead of being apprehended and fined for illegal parking and obstruction, especially that the fine for such violations had been significantly increased by the city, motorists will have to sacrifice their time and resources to have their vehicles inspected in a more convenient area even outside the city for the required processes prior to registration or renewal of registration.

According to him, the use of a portion of the agency’s impounding area in Beckel for inspection and stenciling will be announced the soonest after all the ongoing gravelling works shall have been completed.

He added the agency’s decision to transfer its inspection area to Beckel, La Trinidad, Benguet is in response to the repeated appeal of the city government for concerned government agencies, motor vehicle owners, business establishments, among other sectors, to take initiatives to improve the traffic flow around the city.

Almora appealed to motor vehicles applying for the renewal of the registration of their motor vehicles to cooperate with the eventual relocation of the inspection and stenciling area to Beckel as its impounding area has been identified as the most feasible site for the said purpose because of the presence of a sufficient area for parking.

The LTO registration office is located in Pacdal, Baguio City within the property of the Dept. of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) where the use of the property has been a subject of a deed of usufruct.

He assured motor vehicle owners that LTO personnel will render quality service in any of their district offices around the region because the agency wants to significant improve its image and erase any negative impression made by the malpractices of some of their people in the service.