To truck and bus drivers who park their vehicles along sidewalks in Valenzuela City, be warned.

The city government’s Traffic Management Division since January has been going after drivers and owners who park large vehicles in prohibited areas by locking their vehicles into place with wheel clamps attached to their wheels.

This procedure is based on Ordinance No. 202, series of 2015, or “The Wheel Clamp Ordinance for Trucks and the Likes”.

City Mayor REX Gatchalian said the measure is meant to rid roads of blockages which lead to convoluted traffic.

The ordinance covers vehicles with more than four wheels and weighing more than 4,500 kilograms.

Places where parking is not allowed include: 1. intersections; 2. crosswalks; 3. within 6 meters of the intersection curb lines; 4. within 4 meters of a fire hydrant; 5. in front of a private driveway; 6. on the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the curb or edge of the highway; 7. at any place where official signs have been installed prohibiting parking; and 8. at any other places specified or prohibited for parking.

The driver or owner of the errant vehicle is required to pay an administrative penalty of Php5,000.

On the other hand, those who remove or destroy the wheel clamps would be fined with Php5,000 payable to the City Treasurer’s Office within 24 hours or suffer the consequence of one-month jail time. Depending on the court’s judgment, both penalties could be meted out on the violator.

The implementation of the ordinance is suspended during religious activities, cultural and traditional activities, legal holidays, and special and public holidays as declared by the Office of the President.

From January 21 when the ordinance took effect until March 9, the TMD has already apprehended 228 violators.

The TMD officers roam around the city in three shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week:  from 5 am to 1 pm, 1 pm to 9 pm, and 9 pm to 5 am.

For more information, you may contact the TMD at 352-2000 local 2102.