Dave Achondo I AM sure some of us have already read the news about the Road and Traffic Administration (RTA) plans to have “trisikads” banned from entering in urban barangays, and major thoroughfares in rural villages in Cagayan de Oro. Probably, some Kagay-anons took it as a bittersweet news--bitter for trisikad drivers but sweet for the rest of us if properly implemented. The proposal is part of the RTA’s Traffic Management Plan (TMP) which was submitted by lawyer Jose Edgardo Uy, chairman of the Task Force Hapsay Dalan, to the city council. If implemented and turned into a law, it would help in easing traffic a bit. But better small than nothing at all, right? As a warm-up, I would suggest to start with the Trendline area, a known trisikad hub and a very troubled area when it comes to triskads. I am not against them who are making a living. But I also share other people’s sentiment, and those who follow the rules and yet get pissed off whenever they are stuck in heavy traffic because others break them. Sumo na kaayo. I don’t like the trisikad drivers the most when they counter-flow on a very narrow one-way street, and also when maghinawod sila sa dalan. Let’s face it, they are somewhat annoying especially when they pass through one-way roads such as the Trendline area. It is as if they can’t read the road signs. Hello, it says “One Way”! ’Sikad or not, you’re not supposed to counter-flow there. It is frustrating enough to see vendors turning the streets around and near Cogon market into a place for food stalls and ukay-ukay, and see vehicles illegal parked there. All these cause traffic jams. To top it all up, there are inconsiderate drivers, triskad drivers included. In the proposal, the RTA recommended that barangay officials be held liable for allowing trisikads and other similar public transport vehicles in their respective jurisdictions. “Any permit issued by the barangay to trisikad operators must be coursed through the RTA. The requirements of the Traffic Code of Cagayan de Oro must be strictly adhered to,” Uy said. It should have been that way. Laws are laws and they are there for a reason, but a simple slap on the risk won’t seem to work nowadays. They need fear to stimulate discipline. It is kind of hard to complain what is going on in this city. If some politicians say traffic enforcers are not properly doing their job, the same can be said of drivers and the pedestrians who don’t follow rules. So to me no one is to blame but ourselves. The main reason why traffic is an issue is that everyone is just too inconsiderate; they always want to do things their way. It is about time to stop acting selfish and start being productive not just for oneself but also for the city’s own good.