THE CITY Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) is considering proposals to add decibel requirements to enforce measures against vehicles with loud aftermarket pipes.
CTTMO chief Dionisio Abude said the office is invited to a hearing with the peace and city council committee on peace and security and the transportation and communications to tackle the proposal.
Abude added he is backing the proposal to amend the Traffic Code and require a specific decibel, but it has to be within the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications.
The operation against mufflers is mandated under Section 182 of the Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Code of Davao City, motorcycles and motorcycles with sidecars using modified mufflers, detached mufflers, or no mufflers at all.
“There is a provision that if you modify or alter, it would create unusual noise. The crafting of the law was also the result of the people’s complaints,” Abude said.
He added that under the national law, modified mufflers that go beyond or fall outside the vehicle’s standard manufacturer’s specifications are prohibited.
Abude said the city will invest in decibel meter machines to enforce the law fairly.
Under the Traffic Code of the City, once the vehicle is apprehended, it will be impounded by the CTTMO and the owner has to pay a penalty of P500.
Abude said the owner is responsible for hiring a repairman and replacing the muffler according to the standards.“We will release it if they finish replacing the muffler and pay the penalty,” he said.
The city government is set to convene stakeholders, including vehicle owners and riders on Feb. 23, to clarify enforcement procedures for aftermarket and modified mufflers.
