Motorists seem to be unfazed by the higher fines and penalties imposed by authorities for violating the rules of passing through the Busway along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) disclosed.
The MMDA has recently launched a restructure operations group that will specifically target individuals who violate the exclusive EDSA busway policy.
One of the primary objectives of this new group is to conduct a more vigorous campaign against drivers who are not authorized to use the EDSA Busway.
MMDA officials said the officers responsible for apprehending individuals will carry body-worn cameras as a means of protecting both the enforcers and the motorists apprehended.
These cameras are linked to the MMDA's communications and command center.
As of Tuesday, November 28, the agency reported at least 53 vehicles have been apprehended and issued citation tickets, 32 of which are motorcycles, 16 are four-wheeled vehicles, three vans, one public utility bus and one public utility jeepney.
The MMDA said that the increased penalties for violations on the EDSA Busway have had a positive decrease in the number of motorcycle riders and drivers being caught.
Under the new MMDA Regulations No. 23-00, the punishment for those who violate the bus lane is a hefty fine of P5,000 for first-time offenders. This is significantly higher than the previous penalty of P1,000, which many drivers ignored as they could easily afford it.
During the first week of the implementation of higher fines versus EDSA busway violators starting November 13, there were 1,262 motorists apprehended while the MMDA registered 345 apprehensions last week.
#EDSA #MMDA #BusLane #Violators #OpinYon #WeTakeAStand