NEWS: MMDA plans speed radar guns on motorbikes

**ghosthunter** · May 16th, 2011 09:38 AM

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquire...-on-motorbikes

MMDA plans speed radar guns on motorbikes

By Miko Morelos, Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:31:00 05/16/2011

MANILA, Philippines--Angered by the death of a prominent journalist in a road collision, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Sunday said it was planning to equip its motorcycle units with radar speed guns to go after speeding motorists, particularly passenger bus drivers.

MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino also announced he would meet with the agency’s task force overseeing the implementation of traffic rules along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, where the accident that killed journalist Chit Estella occurred on Friday night.

“We will also introduce the use of speed radars on board our motorcycle units,” Tolentino said in a radio interview. “These will identify violators and once they are pulled over, we can have the violation tickets printed and issued to drivers.”

The driver of the Universal Bus Line unit that rammed the taxicab carrying Estella has been identified and criminal charges will be filed against him on Monday in the Quezon City prosecutor’s office, an official said.

Senior Supt. Arnold Santiago, Quezon City Police District Traffic Enforcement Group head, identified the driver as Daniel Espinosa, 39, a native of Davao del Sur.

Santiago denied reports that Espinosa had been arrested. He said the police were also still looking for the driver of a second vehicle that hit Estella’s cab.

The officer on case, SP03 Nelson Apostol, said that various teams had been dispatched to locate the drivers and the bus conductor of the bus, who also fled the scene.

Apostol added they would study the video footages taken on Commonwealth Avenue at the time of the accident.

The cab’s driver survived with minor injuries.

The MMDA has initially armed traffic enforcers with radar guns to gauge the speed of vehicles passing on Commonwealth Avenue. It has enforced a 60-kilometer-per-hour speed limit on the thoroughfare starting in January.

The number of road mishaps on Commonwealth Avenue has earned for it the label “killer highway.”

**robot.sonic** · May 16th, 2011 08:07 PM

sobrang mahal daw nyan. baka di kaya bilhin ng mmda. yung dati nga na radar hiniram lang sa nlex.

**ghosthunter** · May 16th, 2011 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by robot.sonic

sobrang mahal daw nyan. baka di kaya bilhin ng mmda. yung dati nga na radar hiniram lang sa nlex.

The MMDA has seen that they can make lots of money by catching hundreds of "offenders" just by sitting in one place on Commonwealth Ave.

The old color-coding traffic scheme used to be their bread the butter. The MMDA is looking for the next "big hit" to milk us helpless motorists of our hard earned cash.

And it seems "speed traps" is their next business venture into our collective wallets.

**chua_riwap** · May 16th, 2011 11:20 PM

why not just install permanent speed radars along commonwealth ave., just like what they have in NLEX?
sa gabi ba yung mga MMDAs na equipped w/ these "speed radar guns", eh nandun pa rin para mag-monitor sa mga speed maniacs?

**ghosthunter** · May 16th, 2011 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by chua_riwap

why not just install permanent speed radars along commonwealth ave., just like what they have in NLEX?
sa gabi ba yung mga MMDAs na equipped w/ these "speed radar guns", eh nandun pa rin para mag-monitor sa mga speed maniacs?

I don't think so because the video camera part of the radar speed gun does not work at night.

**chua_riwap** · May 17th, 2011 01:43 AM

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

I don't think so because the video camera part of the radar speed gun does not work at night.

so that's the problem. during daytime, "most" of the drivers are running w/in the speed limit.
but at night time, the commonwealth stretch would become a "racing circuit" once again, in the absence of these MMDA speed trackers.

**chua_riwap** · May 17th, 2011 01:45 AM

kung di madisiplina, lagyan na lang ng humps to slow them down.

**ans_lim168** · May 17th, 2011 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

I don't think so because the video camera part of the radar speed gun does not work at night.

Originally Posted by chua_riwap

so that's the problem. during daytime, "most" of the drivers are running w/in the speed limit.
but at night time, the commonwealth stretch would become a "racing circuit" once again, in the absence of these MMDA speed trackers.

Only in the Philippines. If they are dead serious why not put up several stations along Commonwealth Ave. day and night 24/7, rain or shine, or just like what the other poster said, install speed radars with personnel on patrol, if there's a will there's a way.

**shadow** · May 17th, 2011 12:00 PM

gagastos pa sila eh. buhusan na lang nila ng gravel yun buong common wealth para sumemplang yun mga motor na kaskasero..tipid pa sila tapos meron na lang nakaabang na forklift para mag alis sa mga sumemplang na motor.