THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said measures are being readied this early to ensure the safety of students when face-to-face classes resume in August.
MMDA Traffic Discipline Office chief Victor Nuñez said this is part of the agency’s Oplan Balik Eskwela 2022 preparations in coordination with local government units, particularly their respective traffic enforcement units, and the Department of Education.
“We will have a meeting with school administrators, Parent-Teacher Associations, and local traffic bureaus in the National Capital Region to discuss road safety checks in school zones,” Nuñez said during the celebration of the National Safe Kids Week at the MMDA Traffic Academy in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
The DepEd had earlier said that classes for schoolyear 2022-2023 will start in August.
“Let me emphasize that road safety is a shared responsibility. We will ensure that enforcement of traffic laws, in constant coordination with the Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office, and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board are in place to keep tabs on motorists to protect the safety of vulnerable road users,” Nuñez said.
Nuñez also cited the ongoing repainting of pedestrian lanes within the immediate vicinities of schools in Metro Manila.
The MMDA also has a Children’s Road Safety Park in Adriatico, Manila that aims to give children a deeper understanding of road safety and traffic discipline.
DOTr Undersecretary Mark Steven Pastor also stressed the importance of raising awareness and implementing road safety interventions.
“Our primary advocacy is to strictly enforce existing road safety laws. Children go out of their houses and take public transportation to go to school. Hence, we have to protect them as we embark on the full implementation of face-to-face classes,” Pastor said.
Roberto Valera, LTO Law Enforcement Service Deputy Director explained why the enforcement of road safety laws is important, saying: “LTO is a road safety advocate. A strong, sustained, and highly visible enforcement is needed to prevent road crash incidents involving children.”
