Aside from the reimplementation of Coding last month, another hot topic for motorists is the NCAP or the No-Contact Apprehension Policy of the MMDA. Two days ago, the Supreme Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order that will shelf the Policy beyond January of next year. To keep up with apprehending erring motorists, the MMDA has announced that sans cameras, the physical apprehensions will be ramped up by and with more personnel in more areas.
We won’t deal too much with the public’s opinion about it since that’s already pretty obvious, but this leads us to a fundamental question. Despite the adverse reactions of many towards NCAP, did it really work? Was it effective in catching those who violated traffic regulations? Did the issuance of a TRO take away a successful means of apprehending those who neglect the rules?
NCAP tagged an estimated 107K traffic violators from January to August 24, 2022
Physical apprehensions will be coming back in full force, but compared to (literal) manpower, did the NCAP do its job as intended?
Photo: MMDA
If we will base its effectiveness on numbers alone, tagging about 107K violations in almost 8 full months is rather impressive. According to the MMDA, the most common violations are those that involve disregarding traffic signs, neglecting the number coding scheme, and loading and unloading in prohibited areas.
That’s 107K notices sent out, 107K fines to be collected, and 107K motorists who have been reminded that the MMDA is (or was) watching. And that is a lot. As we said earlier, we won’t touch on public opinion and instead, touch on how many violators who (we hope) were clearly in the wrong were reminded that the law is not something to be broken. After all, that’s what these apprehensions are for, right? For those who were wrongfully tagged, they can always contest it, but again, that’s not the point of this piece.
With NCAP postponed for the very long and foreseeable future, the scope and sight (literally) of traffic enforcers will now be limited and inevitably, a lot will escape the long arm of the law. Granted that more constables will be manning the roadways physically, crafty law-breakers will now find it easier to avoid being flagged. Such is the state of brazen audacity of chronic law-breakers in the country.
The MMDA still hopes that discipline is inherent upon all motorists even without the NCAP. Aside from ensuring smooth traffic flow, discipline will help greatly protect the safety of all on the roads.
