THE CITY Transport and Traffic Management Office reiterated that heavy vehicles weighing more than 4.5 tons and public utility vehicles (PUVs) are prohibited from passing through the Davao City Coastal Road, which opened on July 19, 2023.
During the I-Speak forum on July 20, CTTMO head Dionisio Abude said prohibiting these vehicles is part of their duty to maintain the road’s integrity.
“Ang Davao City Coastal Road, naa na siya to decongest ang atong MacArthur Highway (The Davao City Coastal Road was built to decongest the McArthur Highway). But now nga na-open nato ang coastal road, probably, expected nato nga halos ang uban sakyanan nga mu-directly travel from Bago Aplaya up to downtown, dili na nuon sila muagi sa MacArthur Highway. Expect nato nga didto napud ang magiging problema (But now that we have opened the coastal road, probably, we are already expecting that all other vehicles that directly travel from Bago Aplaya to downtown won’t pass MacArthur Highway, which we expect would cause new problems),” Abude said.
Aside from jeepneys and big trucks, he said they would also apprehend and issue tickets to public commuter vans and buses for operating outside their designated routes. Also, tricycles, pedicabs (trisikad), including the ombaks, and e-bikes (electric bicycles) are not allowed to traverse through the coastal road, according to Republic Act 4136.
“Kung naa napud ta’y ruta diha, mag-identify napud ta’g mga bus stop, yellow box, ug loading bays. So probably, mag-abot nasad dihaa ang mga pasahero. So wala nato na gi-allow kay that coastal road is a national highway,” Abide added.
Abude said mini-dump trucks, meat delivery trucks, mini-cargo trucks, and minivans are allowed to pass through the bypass road so long they don’t exceed the 4.5-ton gross weight limit.
Government-owned or private garbage trucks assigned to Dumalag, fire trucks, government-owned towing and private utility trucks responding to emergencies, armored trucks and financial institution vehicles are also allowed to traverse the coastal road.
But he said the drivers must still show documents for passing through the coastal road to prevent abuse.
Abude said they installed advisories for these vehicles to be aware of the prohibitions, placed in eleven strategic areas: Toril, GTH, Ulas, Talomo junction, Punta Dumalag junction, Bangkal, Matina Aplaya, Quimpo-McArthur, Tulip-Ecoland Drive, Quimpo-Ecoland Drive.
