PSA: Don’t avoid number coding this way
“New Task Force Special Operations head Bong Nebrija of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) shared on Facebook some snaps of a Honda Civic Type R that was apparently flagged down for wearing unauthorized custom license plates that read ‘Winslet.’ Upon removing the illegal plates and returning the correct ones, the MMDA discovered that the car was actually coded that day.
ALSO READ:
MMDA on viral vanity plates being illegal: ‘How can we trace kung sino owner ng 2 Joints?’
Quick guide: What types of custom license plates are legal?
“There was an attempt, sure, but it actually turned out even worse for the owner. While Nebrija didn’t explicitly say it in his post, the Type R owner probably got fined not just for using illegal custom plates but also for coding—double whammy.”
The next-generation LRT-1 trains have been unveiled
“The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and LRT-1 private operator Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) have just pulled the wraps off the fourth-generation light rail vehicles (LRVs) which are part of the new train sets that will ply the LRT-1 line beginning today.
“Each new train set comprises four next-generation LRVs that can carry a minimum of 1,388 passengers. There will be one new train set operational starting this week, with one new set to be rolled out each week until December. There are 30 new sets or 120 LRVs in total.
“The new trains are manufactured by Mitsubishi Corporation, and these models feature a human-machine interface (HMI) that allows train operators to easily identify any possible operational glitches and troubleshoot them. In its first full year of operations, the new trains are expected to increase the daily ridership of the existing LRT-1 line from 280,000 to 300,000.
“The procurement of these new trains is also part of the bigger LRT-1 Cavite Extension project that will extend the railway by 11.7km and add eight new stations all the way to Bacoor City. It is expected to reduce travel time between Cavite and Manila from 1 hour and 10 minutes to just 25 minutes.”
Nearly 1.8 million plates have yet to be delivered by LTO
“In a recent report by the Commission on Audit (COA), there are still 1,797,000 pairs of plates that have yet to be delivered to owners. That’s according to a recent report by The Philippine Star.
“Per the COA, these undelivered plates are worth P808.7 million and have accumulated since 2015. It’s worth noting that these plates are either replacement units or new plates for registration renewal. The COA also said that the Land Transportation Office (LTO) produced 764,514 pairs of plates out of the initial backlog of 2,561,629 pairs.
“There were also additional findings by the COA. Of the 764,514 pairs produced by the LTO, 506,059 pairs were delivered to various regional offices, abd 258,455 of these were still with the LTO’s Plate Making Plant (PMP) during the audit.
“As for motorcycles, the plate backlog is far larger than that of four-wheeled (and up) vehicles. The motorcycle plate back stands at 11,859,496 at the time of the audit. 8,650,311 have been produced from 2014 to 2022.”
ALSO READ:
Everything you need to know about temporary and improvised license plates
LTO to roll out e-driver’s licenses this month
LTO promises 5,000 new driver’s license cards before SONA
“The LTO already confirmed that digital driver’s licenses will be rolled out starting next week, July 26. But be that as it may, it looks like the agency still intends to roll out physical copies at the soonest time possible.
“In its latest advisory, the LTO promised ‘at least 5,000 copies of driver’s license cards’ will arrive before the next State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24.
“The LTO will be prioritizing Overseas Filipino Workers and current student-permit holders whose IDs have matured into professional and non-professional licenses.
“Now, despite these developments, the LTO didn’t mention anything about the previous validity extension from April earlier this year, so we can still assume that that one would remain in effect.
ALSO READ:
Atty. Vigor Mendoza has been appointed as new LTO chief
Quick guide: What you need to know about electronic driver’s licenses
272km solar-powered automated podway in the works in Danao City
“According to a report by Cebu Daily News, the local government unit of Danao City has just inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with foreign firm Transit X to build a podway in the locale.
“This mass-transit project includes a solar-powered 24/7 automated podway transport network that could span 272km, according to a report by SunStar Cebu. There will be about 4,000 pods in total, each capable of traveling at 72kph for metro podways and 200kph for high-speed podways. The futuristic car-like, string-based monorail could be the first of its kind in the country.
“Following the signing of the MOU, Transit X will now test the viability of the podway system in the city. The company also offered an initial investment of $759 million not just to install the podway in the city but also to build a pod manufacturing plant in the province. Nearly 2,000 jobs are expected to be generated through this plant.
“Each pod could replace up to 30 cars on the road, so this could be a sustainable and efficient way of solving traffic in the city. Transit X also says the fares will be ‘similar to existing public transportation.’ The LGU also said that the pedicab drivers that could be displaced by this project will be prioritized in Transit X’s soon-to-rise manufacturing plant.”
