LTO 11 welcomes the new ordinance setting the speed limit of all vehicles in Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Nov 27 (PIA) The Land Transportation Office welcomes the new directive issued by the city government setting speed limits for all vehicles within the jurisdiction of the city.

Eleanor Calderon, chief for operations of the LTO 11 sees no conflict between the local ordinance and the national law.

She explained that though the national traffic law sets the minimum traffic speed at forty kilometres per hour in highly urbanized areas, the local government unit in the area can still promulgate a law lowering further the speed of vehicles to ensure protection of lives and property.

Calderon said that Republic Act 4136 also known as the Land Transportation and Traffic Code allows a maximum speed at 80 kilometers on open roads without blind corners, the local government sets it down to 60 kilometers per hour.

“The city government has the liberty to lower it down from 80 to 60 on open roads and from 40 to 30 within the city thoroughfares.  This is indeed a good news for everyone that the city mayor has lowered the speed of land transportation,” she said.

Calderon stressed that though it is not mentioned on the local ordinance, the national law states that speed must be lowered at 20 kilometers per hour when approaching school zones.

She said that in order to effectively enforce the law, traffic enforcers need speed guns to track the pace of vehicles.

Calderon also stressed the need to check on the speedometers of vehicles.

“Unfortunately, there are many public utility vehicles which no longer have speedometers.  They need to install new speedometers so that we can effectively determine if indeed there is a violation, as we when enforce the law using the speed guns,” she said.

Calderon said speed guns must be provided in routes which have speed limits to ascertain the compliance of motorists.

She also reminded motorists to use their headlights at night to avoid accidents.

Calderon said headlights must be switched on thirty minutes before sunset and thirty minutes after sunrise. (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)