DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/21 October) – Motorists parking their vehicles illegally will soon find their tires clamped after the City Council of Davao approved on final reading Tuesday an ordinance authorizing the personnel of the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) to immobilize illegally parked vehicles using wheel clamps or tire locks.
In an interview, Davao City 1st District Councilor Luna S. Acosta, chairperson of the committee on Peace and Public Safety and author of the ordinance, said that local legislation is an “additional tool” to instill discipline among car owners and discourage street parking that contributes to traffic congestion.
The ordinance, known as the “Wheel Clamping of Illegally Parked Vehicles Ordinance of Davao City,” prescribes penalties for traffic violators.
In addition to a P500 fine for illegal parking under the existing Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Code of Davao City passed in 2012, owners of clamped vehicles shall pay the corresponding citation ticket for the clamping fee at the City Treasurer’s Office: P2,000 for light cars and P5,000 for trucks and other heavy vehicles.
Acosta said illegally parked vehicles contribute to traffic congestion in the city.
Acosta said that the implementation of the ordinance will be initially piloted along Daang Maharila Highway, from corner of R. Castillo Street in Agdao District to Barangay Lasang; Sandawa or the Guillermo E. Torres Street, from the corner of Quimpo Boulevard to the corner of MacArthur Highway; and Ecoland Drive, from corner of Quimpo Boulevard to corner of Sandawa.
She said that the target date for the pilot implementation is January 2026, as the local government has yet to procure 20 wheel clamps.
According to the councilor, the pilot testing will run for a period of three months after which the CTTMO will evaluate whether to expand the coverage of “clamping zones” to other areas of the city.
The ordinance authorizes CTTMO to declare streets as “clamping zones.” The agency is also directed to install appropriate traffic signs indicating the clamping areas on all affected highways, streets, and roads.
Under Section 7, the designated clamping zones will include “all designated and identified pay parking zones.” It further provides that a vehicle is considered “an illegally parked and is subjected to clamping when it is parked beyond “expiration of time” within pay parking zones.
Acosta believed that the ordinance is a more effective measure to discourage illegal parking along the city streets than towing, as the local government faces limitations in towing illegally parked vehicles.
She noted that traffic enforcers observe 200 vehicles illegally parked in the downtown area alone, and towing all of them is not possible due to logistical limitations.
The ordinance also provides that “City Government of Davao deems it necessary to adopt such a measure to strengthen the enforcement of traffic regulations, protect public safety, and promote orderliness on city roads.”
It added that the “use of a wheel clamp or tire lock is a recognized enforcement tool in various highly urbanized cities in the Philippines and abroad, effectively immobilizing illegally parked vehicles until proper penalties and charges are settled.” (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
