DAVAO CITY — To mitigate traffic jams during peak hours, the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) is set to strengthen its enforcement of the 20-second rule for public utility vehicles (PUV) in yellow boxes or loading/non-loading areas.

In an interview, Dionisio Abude, said 36 new traffic personnel will be assigned to the yellow box monitoring to ensure that PUVs, specifically jeepneys, will not stay in designated loading/unloading areas longer than 20 seconds.

He added the rule has long been implemented in the city but its strict enforcement was eased when CTTMO personnel enforcing the policy were assigned to the Davao City Coastal Road to man the traffic flow.

“We will also focus on loading/unloading areas, those yellow boxes where we are implementing the 20-second rule where drivers will be given citation tickets for not leaving the area within 20 seconds),” Abude said.

Apprehended drivers will be issued citation tickets for disregarding traffic signs and will have their city-issued PUV IDs captured and checked for validation.

Meanwhile, CTTMO’s bike lane monitoring team is also intensifying its efforts to keep roads free of illegally parked cars.

Barangay governments whose streets are rampant with illegally parked vehicles are regularly being alarmed by the CTTMO and the Davao City Police Office- Traffic Enforcement Unit.

However, he said the CTTMO does not have the manpower to constantly monitor all inner city streets for illegal parking.

The CTTMO is also campaigning for drivers to keep intersections open by giving way to the Right Hand Rule or to the T-intersection Rule.

“These traffic measures along with the enforcement of the new speed limit policy are meant to ensure a safe and orderly traffic situation in the city,” Abude added.