Belmonte signs motorbike parking ordinance

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. signed recently a measure requiring all major business establishments in the city to provide parking space for motorcycles to prevent them from obstructing sidewalks and from being stolen.

In signing the ordinance, Belmonte took into consideration the rise in the number of motorcycles due to practicality, convenience and cheaper maintenance.

The measure was approved unanimously by the 26-member city council, led by Councilor Jaime Borres, on second reading last Dec. 15.

The ordinance requires the provision of parking space within the premises of all major business establishments as a prerequisite for the renewal of their business permits. Violators face a one-year jail term, a P5,000 fine, or both.

This was the third measure imposing order in the streets that the city council had passed in less than one year.

In the middle of last year, the city government passed an ordinance prohibiting trucks and heavy equipment vehicles from parking on sidewalks to ensure the smooth flow of pedestrians and to protect easements from getting damaged.

Barely a week ago, the city council also passed a measure ordering all junkshop owners to provide parking for garbage pushcarts within their premises.