MMDA: Speed guns along Commonwealth don’t work well at night

Officials of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) admitted in a House probe on Wednesday that the speed guns they purchased to catch speeding vehicles along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City do not work well at night. MMDA deputy chairperson Alex Cabanilla said the agency relies on estimates of traffic enforcers to catch and warn drivers of speeding vehicles at night time along the so-called "killer highway" in Quezon City. "Hindi na ho gumagana ‘yung speed guns namin kapag gabi. Blurred na ho. Technology na ho ang problema roon," Cabanilla said during the House committee on Metro Manila development’s inquiry on the implementation of traffic rules along Commonwealth Avenue on Wednesday morning. The House probe came almost two weeks after University of the Philippines professor and veteran journalist Lourdes Estella Simbulan was killed in a vehicular accident along the said highway. MMDA lawyer Victor Nuñez likewise admitted that the agency owns five speed guns which work only with sufficient lighting due to limited resources. "Our problem right now is the budget... Our initial activity was to purchase speed guns, but it becomes a problem at night time. Hindi ho masyadong maganda," Nuñez said. Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga expressed concern over the MMDA officials’ admission, saying it is a "known fact" that most accidents along the highway occur at night. "Hindi naman ho pwedeng ‘yung mga motorista sa gabi hindi na natin poprotektahan. We are bound to protect human lives here," Barzaga said. Barzaga added that the MMDA should have researched if there are night vision speed guns before purchasing such gadgets. Cabanilla suggested installing additional lampposts along Commonwealth Avenue so that traffic enforcers can still use the speed guns even at night. Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco, House panel chairperson, meanwhile directed the MMDA to submit a proposal next for a “complete package" to better implement traffic rules along the highway and to minimize human intervention in catching violators. “Ang problema lagi ng implementation ay human intervention. No matter where you go, it is always human intervention that creates problems," he said. — RSJ, GMA News