Counterflowing motorcycle riders caught blocking traffic

If you are coming from south of Metro Manila, like from Muntinlupa, Biñan, San Pedro, or are someone who frequents the service roads along the South Luzon Expressway, chances are, you're familiar with how bad the traffic situation is there.

It's a tight two lane road with PUVs that stop to drop off/ take on passengers. Add to that the ongoing construction of the Skyway extension. Then there are the counterflowing motorcycle riders that add to it.

Motorcycle riders are also a cause of traffic along the service road. It's largely because an awful lot counterflow to overtake the slow-moving traffic. Then they squeeze back in at the last possible moment.

Many think this is not an issue because they always say a motorcycle is small and doesn't occupy much of the road. Yet when many motorcycle riders with the same mentality do it at the same time, it causes chaos. Just because others are doing it, it doesn't mean it's right.

This is an example of what happens when riders think of themselves and not other motorists on the road. The result: 3 or 4 additional lines of motorcycle riders on the opposite side of the road blocking oncoming traffic.

In a social media post by Ruel Sevilla, a truck driver, he shared that a lot of unruly motorcycle riders blocked his path along the service road. This caused a traffic jam, slowing progress for vehicles behind him.

“Ganito dito, salubong [ang] mga motor! (This is the situation here, motorcycles are counterflowing!),” says Sevilla.

After a few minutes, Sevilla was past the problem area and traffic was flowing again. But he could not help but express his dismay over what happened.

Counterflowing is a traffic violation

While the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Local Government Units (LGU) may have their own corresponding penalties with regards to counterflowing, in most cases, it is upgraded immediately to “reckless driving” by the apprehending officer. The penalty for reckless driving is PhP2,000 for the first offense plus seminar. However, if this results in an accident, the LTO has the right to revoke the driver’s license of the offending driver.

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