FOLLOWING a howl of motorists plying expressways, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) deferred the implementation of the revised guidelines penalizing motorists for lack of installed electronic toll collection (ETC) device or insufficient load balance of a vehicle’s radio frequency identification device (RFID).
“We hope the concerned agencies and tollway operators would use the 30-day deferment to fine tune expressway operations and further intensify the public information campaign to enable tollway users to comply with the new guidelines,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a statement.
The DOTr, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) previously sealed the Joint Memorandum Circular 2024-01 stipulating a crackdown starting August 31.
With the deferment, Mendoza said that JMC 2024-01 would instead be implemented on October 1.
“These revised guidelines should significantly improve traffic along expressways through cashless or contactless toll plazas,” he added.
The JMC imposes the penalties for lack of installed electronic toll collection (ETC) device or insufficient load balance of a vehicle’s radio frequency identification device (RFID), and strengthens the deputization by LTO of tollway enforcers of the two groups of tollway operators, among others.
The TRB in 2021 designated only one exit lane for cash transactions at toll plazas (all other lanes for ETC) in compliance with an order from the DOTr.
Under the circular, motorists entering toll roads without valid RFID or electronic toll collection (ETC) devices, including dilapidated ones, shall be penalized by as much as P10,000 per infraction.
The TRB earlier said erring motorists with RFID-related violations represent 9% of all the motorists using the toll expressways, “who unfortunately are the ones causing the unnecessary delays and long queues at the toll plazas.” (ANGEL F. JOSE)
