MMDA turns to wireless cameras to catch violators

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando said yesterday they will field-test a scheme that uses surveillance cameras along major roads to catch traffic violators in action.

Fernando said the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the MMDA’s policy-making body, has approved the scheme but no date has been set for the field-testing, which will last for three months.

According to Fernando, the new scheme, tagged as the “No Physical Contact Policy,” eliminates the time-consuming process of having traffic enforcers physically apprehend and issue a ticket to the erring motorist.

“We will use as evidence the traffic violations recorded by our surveillance cameras along major and secondary roads for this scheme,” he said.

Three years ago, the MMDA tried to implement a similar scheme, called the Non-Contact Traffic Apprehension (NCTA), but the Makati Regional Trial Court declared it “null and void” after the agency failed to get the approval of the MMC.

In the NCTA, MMDA traffic enforcers take digital photos of motorists committing traffic violations. The MMDA then sends summons to the operator or driver of the vehicle with a digital photo of the violation as evidence.

With the new scheme, owners of the vehicles caught violating traffic rules by the MMDA’s Wi-Max cameras will be summoned by the MMDA and will then be issued the agency’s traffic violation receipt (TVR) and the ordinance violation receipt (OVR) of the local government unit where the violation happened.

In the summons, the erring motorist will be issued a notice specifying the infraction committed, the date, time and place where the violation was committed as well as the corresponding photo-clip as evidence. The summons will also specify the penalty.

Fernando, however, stressed that motorists are still allowed to contest the violation within one week after receiving the summons.

“They are allowed to file their protest within seven days at the Traffic Adjudication Board and we will act on it within the same time frame,” Fernando said.

Payment of fines and penalties shall be made within seven days upon receipt of the first notice of violation at all Metrobank branches, unless a protest was filed contesting the apprehension.

If a week goes by without the motorist contesting the apprehension or settling the penalty, the MMDA will issue the erring motorist a final notice before the agency places the vehicle’s license plates at the alarm list of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

Once on the alarm list, the vehicle caught on the surveillance camera cannot have its registration renewed until the fine is paid.– Mike Frialde