Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Thursday declared the 6.5-kilometer Rizal Avenue, formerly called Avenida Rizal, as a “no parking zone.”Estrada made this move following a road clearing that revealed the extent of illegal parking on one of the city’s main arteries. During a road clearing operation on a three-kilometer portion of Rizal Avenue from Carriedo to Abad Santos Avenue, the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) arrested a supposed collector for illegally collecting fees from vehicle owners who park on Rizal Avenue, particularly near the San Lazaro Hospital. But MTPB chief Dennis Alcoreza said parking is absolutely not allowed in any part of Rizal Avenue. The commission also ordered Tokagawa and its partner Matsuyama Corp. to turn over the parking operations to the city government. The MTPB chief added that Estrada has authorized him to arrest anyone collecting illegal parking fees and those protecting this money-making racket in Manila.

Source: The Standard September 16, 2016 16:06 UTC