Standard size for jeepneys in QC sought

MANILA, Philippines — The head of the Quezon City Police District Traffic Enforcement Group wants passengers jeeps in the city to have a uniform length and size, saying the extended jeepney bodies were not safe and have been contributing to traffic problems.

“As part of the safety net measures in the streets, I would propose that all passenger jeeps should have a standard size and length,” Superintendent Rudie Valoria told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) in an interview on Sunday.

Valoria said passenger jeeps should be limited to a capacity of 16 seated people.

Valoria said that extended passenger jeeps posed dangers to commuters, motorists as well as pedestrians because their engines were not designed to carry the weight of their expanded seating capacity.

“The motor vehicle’s engine should always match the allowed weight capacity of a vehicle,” he explained.

“In most of the accidents involving expanded passenger jeeps, loose brakes were cited as reasons,” Valoria added.

He added that three to four vehicular accidents in a day involved expanded passenger jeeps.

He also said that passenger jeeps with extended bodies also put regular-sized jeeps at a disadvantage, when it came to income.

“They are actually like mini-buses masquerading as passenger jeeps,” he said, adding extended jeepneys also contributed to traffic congestion.

He said that while his proposal would be opposed by transport groups, “the passengers’ safety is paramount. Whoever would oppose my idea should look at the bigger picture.”

He said he would soon submit his proposal to the Land Transportation Regulatory Board (LTFRB).–Nancy C. Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer