Abusive, arrogant traffic violators
The Scrutineer
Atty. Jerome G. Neri
COUNTER-FLOWING is when a vehicle goes to a lane where traffic flow is in the opposite direction. It is a traffic violation and it illustrates an inconsiderate character on the part of the counter-flowing driver. Sadly counter-flowing seems to be the favorite traffic violation of motorists, and I have not seen anyone nor heard of anyone having been arrested for this traffic violation. It seems like the traffic enforces just like to look the other way when it comes to counter-flowing. On my way home from work today, from the San Carlos Talamban area up to the Cebu Country Club area along Archbishop Reyes Ave., I spotted more than 20 violators, and this is just a two-kilometer stretch of road. After my count reached 20, I stopped counting. All of these were motorcycles.
It is common nowadays to see videos posted by netizens of motorists counter-flowing, which then are followed by a lot of nasty comments. One of these videos has gone viral and caught the attention of mainstream media, such as ABS-CBN and GMA Network. More importantly it caught the attention of the LTFRB as the violator was a Bus of the Rainbow Bus Company. This incident happened in Manila.
The video shows the offending bus traveling at the wrong lane overtaking a long line of cars properly lined up in their lanes in what was a heavy traffic jam. The bus and the car, which was traveling in the correct direction for that lane and equipped with a dash-cam, both stopped before they hit each other. Totally out of line, it was the bus driver who was furious, gesturing and yelling at the driver of the car in the correct direction. Obviously, traffic was getting worse and worse with neither of the drivers giving way to the other. After a couple of minutes a traffic aide was on the scene and the bus driver tried to move back to his lane wherein he almost hit another car. Again, the arrogant bus driver got mad at the driver of the car he almost hit. A traffic enforcer arrived on the scene. The traffic enforcer asked for the driver’s license from the bus driver who refused to give it and the bus driver even locked the doors of the bus so that the traffic enforcer could not access him. No ticket was issued and the bus moved to the proper lane with the bus driver trying to hit the car with the camera using a long metal pipe. I have never seen such arrogance from a traffic violator.
The LTFRB has announced that it has given the bus driver and the bus company five days to show cause why they should not suspend or revoke the franchise of the bus company and the license of the bus driver.
Proper news agencies tried to get the side of the bus driver and the bus company, so they went to the company address as listed on the franchise. They were not allowed to enter the premises, where they were informed that the place was just the maintenance area for the buses of the company and not the main office of the company. When the media asked for the phone number of the main office and/or the address of the main office, nobody in the maintenance garage knew the number or the address. Now, that is unbelievable and complete BS.
Not only do we have a misbehaving driver, we also have a bus company that is full of shit.
I think it is incumbent upon the LTFRB to penalize both the driver and the bus company with the most severe penalty that they can hand out. A bus company is a public transportation service wherein it must be easy for anybody to be able to contact them and find their office, so that grievances such as this can be addressed.
If it was for me to decide the bus driver’s license should be revoked permanently and the buses of the bus company all be seized and destroyed, with the stockholders prohibited from entering the public transportation business permanently. There is anarchy in our streets and we need drastic measures.
