Final draft for NCR single ticketing system okayed
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Metro Manila local traffic bureau heads, as well as officials from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) approved the final draft of the Metro Manila Traffic Code (MMTC) for the proposed single ticketing system in the National Capital Region (NCR).
During a meeting held on Friday afternoon (January 20), the technical working group agreed on the final 20 most common traffic violation penalties, which will be imposed uniformly in all Metro Manila local government units (LGUs) and interconnectivity requirements with the LTO’s Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).
According to MMDA Acting Chairman Atty. Don Artes, their agency, will provide the fund for purchasing the hardware and IT (Information Technology) requirements needed for the seamless and simultaneous rollout of the LGUs integration with the LTMS.
“We will conduct an inventory of each LGUs with regards [to] their respective systems and equipment for the planned interconnectivity with the LTO database for them to have access [to] 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.
Artes also said that the single ticketing system “will resolve some issues raised in the NCAP (no-contact apprehension policy) petition, which is now pending in the Supreme Court (SC) and issues on confiscating driver’s license. The proposed system will also benefit motorists because it will provide ease of payment through digital payment channels which can be used by apprehended motorists anywhere.”
For his part, San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council (MMC) President Francis Zamora said that the MMTC is unanimously agreed upon by the TWG (Technical Working Group) and will be discussed at the next MMC (Metro Manila Council) meeting.
“We are confident that the Metro mayors will pass a resolution approving this. After the council’s approval, each LGUs will have to draft or amend their respective ordinances [adopting] standardized fines on the identified common traffic violations,” Zamora said.
The two officials, however, emphasized that it is still up to the LGUs to create their own ordinances for other traffic-related offenses which are not stipulated in the traffic code as part of their local autonomy.
Meanwhile, LTO Regional Director Noreen San Luis-Lutey said that the LGU interconnectivity to the LTMS is mandated by law to create a “single database” for traffic violations across the metropolis.
The proposed single ticketing system is expected to be fully implemented within the first quarter of this year.
