EXPERIMENTAL EXEMPTION OF SENIORS FROM CODING WHEN GOING TO, AND FROM HOSPITAL, WORKPLACE TO START AUG. 19

The exemption of private motor vehicles transporting senior citizens of the city to and from clinics, hospitals, or places of work from the city’s number coding scheme will be put on an experimental run starting Aug. 19.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong issued Executive Order No. 82-2024 setting the schedule of the traffic experiment which aims to determine the effects of the exemption contained in a proposed ordinance of the city council.

The experiment will be done in two phases – the first to run from Aug. 19 to Oct. 18 covering vehicles being driven by senior citizens coming to and from medical facilities and workplaces; and the second from Oct. 22 to Nov. 22 for vehicles whether private or taxi units ferrying senior citizens to health facilities or workplaces even if the driver is not a senior citizen.

To be able to avail of the exemption, seniors aged at least 𝟔𝟎 years old whether male or female must have proofs of 𝐁𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐨 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, s𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 c𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 such as valid IDs proving residency, senior citizen status or documentary proofs of medical appointments or check-ups or if working, ID showing the place of work.

Traffic enforcers appealed for senior citizens to be patient and cooperative when signaled to stop.

Ordinance No. 40, series of 2024 further amends Section 6 of Ordinance No. 1, series of 2003, or the Baguio Number Coding Scheme as amended by Ordinance No. 31, series of 2004, and Ordinance No. 107, series of 2008 to exempt motor vehicles transporting senior citizens who are residents of the city, either as driver or passengers, to and from a medical clinic, hospital or place of work from the city’s number coding scheme was approved by the city council recently.

The mayor however vetoed the ordinance to allow the conduct of a proper traffic impact study like the traffic experiment to gather data to determine its effect on our overall traffic situation. – Aileen P. Refuerzo