Jaywalking is habitual and usual activities of people crossing the streets anywhere in the world but it is also the most cause of vehicular accident in the streets which a normal stationary or immobile traffic signs cannot mobilize or done.
And this jaywalking related incident is high in number in the Philippines, particularly on or within Metro Manila areas where most population of the Philippines has large contributions. Thus, the traffic management system within the Metropolitan areas made a plan to decrease the number of accidents related to jaywalking or jaywalking accidents.
This traffic management system of Metro Manila or this traffic management system that supervise the traffic system within Metro Manila areas has or have done many traffic plans and traffic control system schemes, now they have created on invented a new way or new scheme to control those people who jaywalk.
Last Tuesday or June 5,2012,the The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) deployed its Anti-Jaywalking Unit or so-called “Men in Red” to enforce and strictly implement their campaign against jaywalking within Metro Manila particularly on the following areas : EDSA-Ortigas, EDSA-Balintawak, Pasay-Taft, Monumento in Caloocan City and Commonwealth Ave. in Quezon City.
The Anti-Jaywalking Unit Team are men dressed on red polo shirt and cap and with holding placards written, “Bawal Tumawid” and “No Jaywalking”
“..At least 97 men clad in red polo shirt and cap with signages “Bawal Tumawid” and “No Jaywalking” were deployed in the following areas: EDSA-Ortigas, EDSA-Balintawak, Pasay-Taft, Monumento in Caloocan City and Commonwealth Ave. in Quezon City…”
Those anyone caught by these Men in Red will be fine with P200 pesos, as of its enforcement there are already number of Jaywalkers caught by the Men in Red.
“..As of 10 a.m., the MMDA’s Men in Red already caught 52 jaywalkers in EDSA-Ortigas and in Litex, Barangay Commonwealth. Jaywalkers will pay P200 fine…the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday apprehended 64 jaywalkers, bringing to 228 the number of violators nabbed in the first two days of the campaign against jaywalking.
According to the MMDA, 13 jaywalkers were rounded up and given pedestrian violation receipts (PVRs) along Ortigas Avenue; 17 in Taft Avenue, Manila; seven in Litex Road, in Quezon City; nine near the Manila Central University in Caloocan City; and five at the Balintawak area….”
“…At least 114 jaywalkers in Metro Manila were accosted in the first few hours of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s anti-jaywalking drive….”
However, according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA),the children and elderly, as well as those who are physically infirm or have physical and mental disabilities are exempted to this Anti-Jaywalking Unit Team or exempted to be fine but not on caught because if Men in Red or Anti-Jaywalking Unit Team let them pass of course they will be hit by running vehicles on the road.
“..But Tolentino also said that while persons with disabilities, the elderly and minors will not be fined, they will not be exempt from “lectures” against jaywalking….”
“’Yung menor de edad at persons with disabilities at senior citizens, hindi natin sila pagmumultahin. May batas na exempted sila sa liability. Pero bawal sila tumawid; lelecture-an sila. Ang ‘di makabayad may disaster training,”
“…The report said the MMDA “Men in Red” also reminded the elderly pedestrians to seek MMDA personnel’s assistance to cross the footbridge….”
“…But the report said the MMDA was relatively lenient on senior citizens who did not want to use the footbridges.
Earlier, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the elderly and people with disabilities will not be fined but will be subject to a lecture against jaywalking…”
Those who are caught Jaywalking or caught violating the Anti-Jaywalking campaign or Anti-Jaywalking drive of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) who cannot pay the fine of P200 pesos will be put to 15-minute lecture about disaster preparedness.
“…Those who cannot pay the fine will get an on-the-spot 15-minute lecture on disaster preparedness….”
The area that is mostly accident prone is the EDSA-Ortigas area.
“…Most of the 114 who were accosted at the EDSA-Ortigas area alone chose to attend a disaster management seminar instead of pay a P200 fine, radio dzBB’s Glen Juego reported.
The report said the EDSA-Ortigas area had been one of the most accident-prone areas for jaywalkers…”
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) created the Anti-Jaywalking campaign or the Anti-Jaywalking Drive so as to lead the people walking on the streets into safety or save them from accident or being hit by vehicles on their jaywalking and let them walk on footbridges instead rather than risk the jaywalking.
However,some people still stubborn or reluctant to walk on footbridges but rather risk to cross the road though there is already an imminent risk of being hit by the vehicles crossing the road.
“…Many jaywalkers continued to shun the footbridges along parts of Commonwealth Avenue when they saw no one was around to reprimand them before 6 a.m., radio dzBB’s Allan Gatus reported.
For Monday, the MMDA’s “Men in Red” were ordered to catch jaywalkers and give them a reprimand and reminder on the anti-jaywalking drive…. The MMDA had cited the safety of pedestrians in enforcing the anti-jaywalking policy, noting some had been hit by passing vehicles when they cross the road….”
According to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chief or Chairman Francis Tolentino, they are just concern about the welfare of the people crossing the streets but some people just stubborn and don’t love their lives.
For according to him, last year there “… was a daily average of 14 pedestrian-related traffic accidents…” which alarms the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority or MMDA, thus they implement the Anti-Jaywalking drive or campaign to stop or avert the increasing number of pedestrian related accidents, especially jaywalking.
“Last year, there was a daily average of 14 pedestrian-related traffic accidents. This is an alarming figure,”
“We should highlight to the public the dangers of jaywalking. This is one way to discourage them from crossing just about anywhere,…”
Moreover, according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino, they will do a drive to crack down vendors on footbridges and on roads so as to not to hamper the flow of people crossing the footbridges and the streets.
“…Tolentino also hinted the MMDA will soon crack down on vendors occupying the footbridges and hampering the flow of people using such facilities..”
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will also embarked on extensive repair or repainting and installations of new pedestrian lanes or has done repainting and installation of more pedestrian lanes. There are already 1,300 pedestrian lanes that are repainted and some of these pedestrian lanes were pedestrian lanes from San Juan City, Manila, Pateros, Makati, and Mandaluyong cities; Eight pedestrian lanes from San Juan City, eight in Manila, four in Pateros, one in Makati city, and one in Mandaluyong cities.
“..Eight pedestrian lanes were already repainted in San Juan City, eight in Manila, four in Pateros, and one each in Makati and Mandaluyong cities….”
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is an agency in the Philippines that supervises, plans, monitors, the traffic system within Metro Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Pasay, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasig, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Valenzuela, Malabon, Taguig, Navotas and San Juan and the municipality of Pateros.
“…The MMDA performs planning, monitoring and coordinative functions, and in the process exercise regulatory and supervisory authority over the delivery of metro-wide services within Metro Manila without diminution of the autonomy of the local government units concerning purely local matters.
The agency is headed by a Chairman, who is appointed by the President and continues to hold office at the discretion of the appointing authority. He is vested with the rank, rights, privileges, disqualifications, and prohibitions of a cabinet member…”
