The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is pushing for a partial ban on street parking in the National Capital Region (NCR) as part of efforts to ease traffic congestion.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the agency proposed prohibiting parking on public roads from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., following a meeting with concerned officials.
“The law says public streets are not for private enterprise, and we consider parking a private enterprise, a private car on a public street,” Remulla told reporters in an ambush interview.
He said the government aims to declare key roads in Metro Manila as “no parking zones,” particularly those contributing to heavy traffic.
“It’s a modification of what we have now,” he added.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairperson Romando Artes, however, suggested a more flexible approach, proposing a ban on side street parking only during peak hours, specifically from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“In our observation, there are hours before and after rush hour when parking may still be allowed,” Artes said.
He added that further study is needed and that recommendations would be reviewed by a technical working group on a case-by-case basis per local government unit (LGU).
Metro Manila Council (MMC) head and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said mayors in the region prefer to retain their respective ordinances regarding parking on inner, secondary, and tertiary roads.
“For inner roads, each LGU will assign representatives to be part of the technical working group,” Zamora said.
“There’s no total parking ban for now. Each city will submit their recommendations on which areas may still allow parking,” he added.
The final guidelines on the new public street parking policy in Metro Manila are expected to be released by September 1, according to Remulla.
