DOTr, global policymakers, push for low urban speed limits

Last month, we followed the story of Ms. Erika Dalmino, who unfortunately fell victim to reckless motorcycle riders allegedly racing along Marilaque. One of the riders overshot a corner colliding with and damaging her vehicle. The damage was estimated to be more than a PhP100K, not to mention hospital and downtime costs. Unfortunately for Ms. Dalmino, after all that happened and even if it was not her fault, she had to swallow the bitter pill of shouldering the expenses related to her vehicle’s repair since the rider was unable to fulfill his monetary obligation.

There are many kamote riders and victims like Ms. Dalmino plying our roads. While it was an accident, it was very much avoidable had the riders thought of not going beyond the speed limit set along Marilaque, which is 50-kph.

In the recently concluded 6th United Nations Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW), transportation secretary, Arthur Tugade, joins hands with the global policymakers to push for the enactment of low-speed streets.

Under the campaign #StreetsForLife and #LOVE30, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and UNGRSW want to set a 30-kilometers per hour speed limit in most urban areas, like Metro Manila and other highly-populated cities.

“As we have been driving programs, projects, and policies to alleviate the potential of public transport to become a transmission vector of the virus, it should not be forgotten that road safety is another pandemic – a silent one that has been killing thousands of Filipinos in a year,” said the DOTr in a statement.

If this comes into fruition, all major roads in cities and towns could be limited to a 30-kph speed limit. Do you think this will reduce the number of accidents?

dotr motorcycle safety speed limit