By Peter Clarete
MANY motorists have noticed that teams of RTA traffic enforcers are regularly conducting practically checkpoints but most if not all of what they flag down are motorcycles.
Yes, many have witnessed this, and I have, too.
And yet, everytime I motor around town, I always see passengers in PUJs and motorelas without their face shields on. And I am not alone in this observation. Facebook is replete with photographs of public transport drivers and passengers without faceshields.
Why is the RTA checking mostly motorcycle riders instead of focusing on helping the city government protect the citizenry from the covid virus? Is the RTA raising money for the government thru fines that they generate from motorists?
And worse, is the RTA or its enforcers required to meet a certain quota of citation tickets issued per day or week or month?
Is the employment of RTA enforcers dependent on their meeting the required quota? Maybe.
It is not bad to issue citation tickets to violators if the intent is to instill discipline BUT if the intention is to collect more fines, then that would need a second look by the leadership in City Hall.
Secondly, why focus on collecting fines at this time when what the RTA should focus on is help keep the city's covid cases to the barest minimum.
And that can be done by enforcing regulations on the use of face shields, distancing, and the use of impermeable barriers between passengers to prevent the virus from spreading.
Is the RTA in sync with the city's covid response programs? Many don't see that it is.
By the way, who is on top of the RTA operations now?
