THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAFFIC PERSONEL IN TAGUM CITY
A Thesis Thesis Presented to the Thesis Committee College of Criminal Justice Education University of Mindanao Tagum College Arellano Arellano St., Tagum Tagum City
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Science in Criminology
ANALIZA B. ELAC JONATHAN L/ BORJA MILLICENT JAYSON V. DE JESUS
August August 2014
INTRODUCTION
Traffic management is a primary responsibility of the local government to ensure the safety of drivers, commuters and the general public. Confronted with the worsening challenge of accidents and even crimes in the road, system of traffic is effected by the local government. The planning comes from the local legislature and the local executive, and the burden of its implementation comes from its traffic personnel.
In the Philippines, the most congested city is Manila where most of the concentration for effective traffic management is focused. The Metro Manila Development Authority is task with responsibilities of significance because life is at stake for accidents if the Traffic Management is not efficient.
Although Provinces is not comparable with the congestion of the traffic in Metro Manila, still the Legislature did not exclude the role of the local government to install traffic management in its localities. The City Government of Davao is a role model when it comes to effective traffic management with its state of the art traffic system and the calibre training of its personnel.
The neighbouring province, Tagum City, because of its progress and development, it is also akin to the traffic problems like other cities in the Philippines.Currently there are many projects and plans effected by the local executive to mobilize the traffic management units in Tagum City.
Although progress is imminent in the City, its residents are not akin to the standards of Traffic management since its system is still not prevalent in terms of technological advancement and the political will of the implementing local branch – the City Mayor. The only visible implementation of traffic management is its personnel manning the roads and issuing citations for violations committed.
According to Police Inspector Angelito de Castro, the head of Traffic Management office of the Tagum City Police Station, these traffic enforcers are the personnel tasked with the responsibility of orderly conduct of rules and safety policies in the road.These are reliable personnel that ensures the good traffic flow in the city’s major thoroughfares. Prince Charles Araneta, a Traffic Management Officer since the year 2013, said that the main concern of the neophytes of the Traffic Management Organization (TMO) is to deal with drivers by avoiding a short fuse as motorists would usually try to intimidate new traffic personnel in exercising their respective functions.
Statement of the Problem
The purpose of the study is to determine the level of the Effectiveness of Traffic Personnel in Tagum City. It significantly sought to answer the following questions: 1. What is the level of the effectiveness of the traffic Personnel in terms of:
1.1.
Monitoring in the public roads; and
1.2.
Enforcing the traffic rules
2. Is there a significant difference on the level of the effectiveness of traffic personnel when grouped according to: 2.1.
Gender;
2.2.
Age; and
2.3.
Civil Status
Hypothesis
There is no significant difference on the level of effectiveness of traffic personnel in Tagum City when grouped according to gender, age and its civil status.
Theoretical Framework
The study is based on the concept of Femi (2006) that there can be no effective regulations and control to set operational standard in the road without the accompaniment of enforcement measures. This command to compel obedience of people to a law, regulation or command is backed by the enforcers of law.
In a situation where various efficiency, safety and environmental concerns in a chaotic and urbanized city, aside from the penalty impose by the law, the effectiveness of those tasked to impose the law is also equated.
CONCEPTUAL MODEL
Role of Traffic P ersonnel
1. Monitoring in the public road 2. Enforcing the traffic rules
MODERATE
1. Gender 2. Age 3. Civil Status
Figure 1. Diagram showing the variable of the study
VARIABLE
Significance of the Study
The study will help the local legislation to take cognizance on the requirements for employment of traffic personnel in order to deliver an effective enforcement of rules and regulations in the road. Traffic Group will be assisted in terms of effective methods to be employed for the effectual implementation of their task and responsibilities. Likewise the study will be an avenue for the personnel to be taught on the positive outcome of the study for their successful conduct of their tasks. The study will also correlate with the benefits for the community such as but not limited to safety and security in the street, reduced accidents, and awareness of a rules and policies in the traffic. The researcher will also be given the opportunity to continue the initiative of the study conducted to enable a continuance of effective traffic control and maintenance related to the function of the traffic personnel.
Definition of Terms Traffic Management -
The direction, control, and supervision of all functions
incident to the procurement and use of freight and passenger transportation services.
Traffic -
The passage of people or vehicles along routes of transportation. Vehicles
or pedestrians in transit: heavy traffic on the turnpike; stopped oncoming traffic to let the children cross
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Enforcement as defined by Femi (2006) is a process by which to adherence to specific rules and punishments is initiated and backed by the laws of the land. Thus, enforcement of transport legislation is the area of activity aimed at controlling road users’ “behaviour in order to achieve safe and efficient operations on the road”.
The 1968 Vienna Convention on road traffic and safety is the backbone for the sets of rules and standards in the International law where the Philippines is a signatory to its treaty. There are also set of standards on traffic tools that are introduced by the convention to its member-countries for implementation to zero out casualties in the roads (un.org).
A traffic enforcer is someone who enforces traffic rules and safety standards. At times they may also be called highway patrol officer. They detailed within neighbourhoods or local police station or any nearby posts. These days, there are even imaginative and creative traffic enforcers who do different gimmicks to catch the attention of the people on the road and make them follow rules and traffic regulations
cheerfully as with the dancing traffic police. It may also be a way to ease the stress and tension while on the road especially during traffic and rush hours (Wikipedia.org). Jobstreet.com defines the job responsibilities of Traffic Enforcer onensuring that traffic rules and regulations are followed by all drivers, passengers and pedestrians. It also includes extending help on pedestrians, especially the aged and children to cross the street (at times), and people who might have lost their way. It extends to other tasks such as catching traffic violators and issue appropriate tickets or penalties. At oftentimes, they are responsible to attending to traffic emergencies and calling other departments if cases and situations come to worse. Often neglected to impart by most traffic personnel is to maintain an approachable personality so people in need would not hesitate to ask for help or would not be intimidated and shy off. And also educating people on traffic safety and health. They mostly focused on recording traffic violations, traffic incidents and other traffic related situations in the road.
Men who have the power to embody stereotypical masculine traits such as being unemotional, tough, authoritative and controlling, according to Connell (1995), they reap status- power benefits just by virtue of being men. The combination of these traits has a positive impact on the enforcement of rules in the road where most drivers are dominated by men.
The relationship between traffic enforcement and crime was generated by research conducted by James Q. Wilson and Barbara Boland in 1978 . 2 Wilson and Boland examined the effects of traffic enforcement on robbery rates in 35 large cities
and found that communities in which officers on patrol were more “legalistic” (measured by the traffic citations issued per unit) experienced lower rates of robbery. Several more recent studies have examined these and other related questions. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration –sponsored field experiment conducted in Dayton, Ohio, examined what happened when officers assigned to routine patrol increased the number of traffic contacts made during discretionary time. While there were no changes in crime, there was a statistically significant reduction in number of arrests for drugs and weapons in the experimental area, leading some observers to suggest that once offenders became aware of heightened police activity in the area, they chose alternative routes for transporting these goods.( http://www.policechiefmagazine.org)
There are also traffic management research conducted to address the request of public for safety and security such as traffic calming measures studies is largely still at its infancy in Zimbabwe although much information is now available on accidents reports kept by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), (Mbara, 2002). The police reports failed to find an answer as to why people di e on country‟s roads (Sunday mail, 16 June 2012). Reports generated by police after attending the scene of accidents have not been adequately studied to ascertain the exact causes of accidents. Police investigations lack the engineering aspect of the analysis there by under estimating the role of that can be played by road engineering on accidents (Sethi and Zwi, 1999).This has hindered road traffic authorities adequately deal with the problem of accidents and coming up with proper measures and planning to curb accidents. The broad aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of traffic calming measures in the city of Masvingo and is directed by the following specific objectives: to
find out if the traffic calming measures in Masvingo, To assess the suitability of designs, construction and placement and then come up with ways and strategies that should be put in place in order to promote road safety in the city. Research methods used was explanatory research. This is an evaluative research method that appraises the effectiveness of what exists. http://www.ijsk.org
Traffic Control and Management Policy and Measures in Metropolitan Manila The MMDA through its Traffic Operation Centre adopts and implements various policies, programs and projects relating to traffic and transportation management in the Metropolis.‟ New Traffic Control Measures and Their Impacts PUV Lane Scheme: First
introduced in 1989 along EDSA, RMB and Espana by virtue of MMC ordinance 03-89. There are about 7, 241 franchised PUV units plying in Metro Manila as per LTFRB records (February 2001). Most of which are operating along EDSA. Average travel time of buses (MMUTIS) is 79 minutes. EDSA carries most of „the vehicle volume as
compared to the other major thoroughfares.
Work related problems are also associated with traffic personnel effectiveness. A number of studies were carried out indifferent parts of the world for understanding the level of stress among Police Personnel. In a recently conducted study among the West Bengal Police Officers revealed that 42 and 12% of the West Bengal Police Officers were suffering from moderate and high psychological stress respectively. Further analysis of data revealed that the main areas of stress included un-profitability (32%), role overload (74%), role conflict (50%), powerlessness (28%), role ambiguity (36%),
unreasonable group and political pressure (58%), intrinsic impoverishment (32%) and under participation (60%). Findings suggest that special attention is required for taking need-based measures for each of the above areas of stress for unburdening the level of stress among West Bengal Police Officers (Deb, Chakraborty, Chatterjee, & Srivastava,2005a). In another study carried out in Kolkata Traffic Police Officers, authors found that the main causes of stress were inadequate rest,no leave, abstaining from social occasions and excessive work pressure (Deb,Chakraborty, Chatterjee, & Srivastava,2005b). Green (2004) carried out a study among Police Officers with a view to ascertaining whether the Police Officers had severe post-traumatic stress than PTSD in civilians. There is also a study conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of traffic personnel in terms of apprehending problems on the road. The routine checking of license plates and driver's licenses results in identifying a large number of motorists with outstanding arrest warrants -- 64 percent in 1994 alone. The other third (36%) of the arrests made by traffic officers were made in response to officer observations and motorist actions during a stop. Weapons or contraband in a vehicle are often observed in this way. ( Case Study of the Grand Prairie, Texas, Police Department)
