Private subdivisions are private property and in some cases, enact and enforce their own traffic rules.
One of them is the dreaded surrendering of licenses. If you frequently visit Ayala Alabang Village (AAV) in Muntinlupa City, you might have already been a part of the long queue of motorcycle riders at the guardhouse. This is especially true if you are also a motorcycle courier trying to fulfill an order by an AAV resident.
Motorcycle couriers lining up at the guardhouse to surrender their ID prior to entering AAV
Besides the long line to enter, you probably know by now that AAV has one of the strictest traffic policies in the entire Metro Manila. Their enforcement is comparable to that of the Subic Freeport Zone, getting some absent-minded riders a ticket even over minor offenses.
That being said, an awful lot of riders have been issued a ticket for traffic offenses. These are usually trivial things that wouldn't even be enforced outside of AAV.
After some digging, we discovered the bulk of tickets all boil down to just three very common mistakes. MotoPinas.com friend and avid motorcycle rider, Cheggy Medina, shares that you don’t really need to be a saint to avoid a ticket inside his village. Just avoid these 3 common mistakes and you should be fine.
Doing a running stop
This is, by far, the most common mistake any village visitor could make. It's committed most frequently by motorcycle couriers. Inside AAV, there are only a handful of traffic lights, so most intersections simply have a STOP sign on the corner. They're not for decoration. It means you must come to a full stop.
Half compliance doesn't count. If you think just slowing down when approaching it is enough, you're going to get a ticket. Not coming to a full stop will get you a ticket.
To avoid getting ticketed, Cheggy advises riders to fully stop at intersection with STOP signs. Count at least 3 seconds then proceed. The rule of thumb is: first to stop, first to go. In the event that another car or motorcycle on the other street stops the same time as you, the vehicle on your right is the first that can go.
Disregarding speed limits
The wide streets and little to no traffic inside AAV can be really tempting. With no traffic, you may think it's fine to go full throttle. However, the village guards are well trained and better equipped than most local Metro Manila traffic enforcers. They have speed guns to accurately check every vehicle's speed.
Speed limit signs are posted almost everywhere inside AAV. They range from 25 to 40 kilometers per hour maximum on secondary roads while it is up to 60 kilometers per hour maximum on parts of some major roads. It is prudent to just stay below 60 km/h, even if there is very little vehicle traffic.
Counterflowing
Inside AAV, there are humps that are placed before an intersection. On some occassions, these humps only occupy half the road. A bad habit of some riders is to avoid the hump completely by counterflowing on the opposite lane. That’s an automatic ticket for you.
Cheggy shares that this is not just a bad habit of visitors or motorcycle couriers, but also of homeowners themselves.
So if you see one of these “half humps” at any of the intersections inside AAV, just slow down and roll over it. Don't forget to stop at the designated stop signs and points before proceeding again to avoid a ticket.
Just remember, the AAV implements traffic laws by the book. No one is exempted, even villagers themselves.
In fact, it's a good idea to practice these good driving habits even outside Ayala Alabang Village or Subic Bay Freeport. After all, these traffic rules are based on the law. We shouldn't have to wait for enforcement to be strict before we behave.
