A group of motorcycle riders and cyclists called on local government units this Sunday to intensify the 30 kilometers per hour (kph) speed limit on crowded roads.
More than 200 riders gathered this Sunday morning at C.P. Garcia Street at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and at the same time went to Pasig City to demand the strict enforcement of the speed limit.
Aside from the speed limit, some LGUs also fail to comply with certain traffic laws under the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, according to Eric Lazarte of the Philippine Advocate for Road Safety and Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong.
“[Gusto namin] maipaabot sa mga local government units na implement ‘yong speed limit ordinances ng 30 kph o mas lower pa doon sa mga busy streets,” said Lazarte.
“Kasi kung gagawin natin ito, mas maiiwasan yung mga disgrasya o mga dagdag na statistics na namamatay sa kalye,” he added.
Riders call for 30 kph speed limit on crowded roads
Lazarte cited the World Health Organization report in 2018, which found more than 1 million deaths in road accidents.
Most of the victims were vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, bikers, and motorcycle riders.
“Alam naman natin, ‘pag mabilis ang sasakyan at mas maraming tao sa kalsada — may nagbibisikleta, mayroong pedestrian, may nagmomotor, mas mayroong risk, mataas ang risk na magkaroon traffic collision at road traffic injuries,” said Lazarte.
The 30 kph speed limit is enforced on city and municipal streets, especially on busy and crowded roads.
The general speed limit in the Philippines is 60 km/h on most highways, and 100 km/h is the maximum on most expressways. The speed limit sign is a red circle with numbers inside as in most countries, including Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia.
According to Occurrence of Traffic Accidents in the Philippines: An Application of Poisson Regression Analysis study, “A road accident is commonly attributed to the collision of vehicles, pedestrian, or with an object that will result to death, disability and damage to property. Road accidents were caused by driver’s errors(26%), mechanical defects (12%), overspeeding (18%), drinking spree before driving(1%), damaged roads (5%). Daytime traffic accidents were found higher than in the night.”