ROAD SIGNS. Left photo shows road signs installed near a huge advertising tarpaulin at the Cebu South Coastal Road in Talisay City while right photo shows a "merging traffic" sign at the South National Highway that is no longer visible to the motorists. Cebu Provincial Board Member Glenn Anthony Soco on Thursday (Sept. 30, 2021) appealed to DPWH-7 to look into road signs and pavement markings that need immediate maintenance to make them more visible to road users and prevent accidents from happening. (PNA photo by John Rey Saavedra)
CEBU CITY – A member of Cebu’s Provincial Board (PB) on Thursday appealed to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to look into signs and pavement markings that need immediate maintenance to make them more visible to motorists and prevent accidents on national roads.
Glenn Anthony Soco, PB member representing Cebu’s Sixth District, noticed that so many roads in Cebu which are maintained by the DPWH are without signs and markings that control traffic flow and issue an early warning of an upcoming hazard.
“These road signs and pavement markings are used to maintain order and provide information to the driving public while plying the major thoroughfares. Roads must be installed with direct, clear and visible signs and markings,” Soco told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.
He said most road users have difficulties following the signs and markings and even the “simplest ones are often ignored” as some are not clear.
If there are no signs and markings or if those installed are “ambiguous”, Soco said it will lead to improper use of roads and eventually increase the risk of accidents, injury, or even cause deaths, especially during the night when driving is more difficult.
"Aside from the absence of signs and markings, some other issues are poorly placed signs and markings, some are not well-maintained, there are signs and markings that are not reflectorized and many have been vandalized. There are some signs and markings that are already covered by bushes," he said.
The province, he said, will endeavor to work with the DPWH-7 in tracing those signs and markings that need repair or replacement to prevent injuries or deaths on national roads in the province.
DPWH, as the agency tasked to maintain road safety and management and installation of signs and markings, issued Department Order No. 41, a manual on highway safety design standards, on June 19, 2012.
In a separate message, Soco cited a World Health Organization report that there were about 1.35 million road deaths around the world in 2018 and in the Philippines, some 12,000 Filipinos die every year due to road accidents.
Aside from the driving behavior of motorists, road accidents were also traced to have been caused by the absence of or poor signs and markings, he noted.
DPWH-7 regional director Edgar Tabacon said his office will look into the concerns cited by Soco. (PNA)
