I work in a clinic located somewhere in Malinta. And everyday that I walk through Paso de blas to get to work and to get to a jeepney terminal with trips heading back home, I see this:
See that arrow that I’ve made pointing to the edge of the sidewalk? Clearly the bus was parked not beside the sidewalk but ON the sidewalk. A sidewalk that’s supposed to be for pedestrians is being occupied by no less than a bus!
Wait, there’s more!
It appears that this isn’t an isolated incident:
These buses have made the sidwalk their terminal!
This is quite dangerous as this practice already narrows what’s already a constricted and often congested two-way road. Also, instead of feeling safe because they’re in the sidewalk, pedestrians have to be wary of reckless bus drivers who, without regard if they’ll be hitting pedestrians, will maneuver their huge vehicles onto the sidewalk. I’ve personally seen a woman almost squashed between a pole and the bus just because of this recklessness. I exchanged some hot words with the barker and the driver but both have just dismissed me as a nuisance, perhaps because they’re already used to doing this and do not see anything wrong with it.
The barker even had the gall to say that it was the woman’s fault that she almost got hit because she did not know when to move away when a bus is parking. But the question remains: are they allowed to park ON a sidewalk when the sidewalk is for pedestrians?
Further along the road, I got my answer:
Me: You’re not supposed to park here. See the sign?
Barker (holding the sign): We’re not parked here. We’re only loading passengers.
Me (to myself): Yeah, right. This isn’t even a loading area.
Was it simply because these bus drivers and barkers cannot understand simple road rules or was it because they do not want to understand?
I wish I could get hold of someone from the municipal hall of this city. As I’m not a resident, I do not know who to reach or how. I may have to ask around next time. But I’ve got this nagging feeling that somehow they’ve already known about this practice and though unjust and dangerous, are only letting it happen. Grease money involved? Not far-fetched, I think.
