Obstruction law do not Drive your Tuk Tuk Slowly

No, we are not telling you to speed or drive in a dangerous way, we are telling you to make sure they have no grounds to charge you under the Obstruction law Philippines.

In Puerto Princesa they have been apprehending tricycles on the national highway and charging them with obstruction.

It is very interesting that they are not charging them with tricycles on a national highway. This makes us ask questions like is there such a law that bans tricycles from national highways? This rule seems to come from a memorandum not from law. There must be a reason they have chosen to use obstruction as the reason to apprehend them and not the tricycle ban.

What is The Obstruction Law Philippines?

Obstruction is covered by the Republic act No. 4136 also known as the Land Transportation Code.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 4136

Section 54. Obstruction of traffic. – No person shall drive his motor vehicle in such a manner as to obstruct or impede the passage of any vehicle, nor, while discharging or taking on passengers or loading or unloading freight, obstruct the free passage of other vehicles on the highway.

Many tricycle drivers are very guilty of this, many of them driving at speeds far lower than the speed limit and in doing so they impede the passage of other road users. Also they often do so by sitting in the overtaking lane.

Tricycle drivers often stop on national highways waiting for customers, they pull out in front of traffic, do U-turns in front of traffic and do many other things to slow down the flow of traffic.

Tuk Tuk PH Supports the Enforcement of the Obstruction Law

We fully agree with these tricycles being apprehended if they are delaying traffic they need apprehending. So if this is all they are stopping them for the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) is doing a good job.

Tricycles slowing down traffic on national highways is costing the country money and delaying us all.

Do not give them a reason to charge Tuk Tuks with obstruction

A Tuk Tuk is very capable of keeping up with the flow of traffic, it has enough speed to travel at the speed limit.

Sadly while on my travels I see many Tuk Tuk drivers driving them slowly at tricycle type speeds. I have no idea why they drive them so slowly I suspect because they were ex tricycle drivers and they have got used to driving at 30kph or slower.

Drive at the speed of other traffic whenever you can.

The ways to avoid being apprehended for obstruction are.

1. Drive at the same speed as other traffic.
2. Do not pull out and slow traffic down.
3. Do not drive slowly looking for customers.
4. Do not park on a national highway waiting for customers, find somewhere of the highway to wait.
5. Do not drop customers off on a national highway, drop them just off the highway. They might have to walk a little way but walking is good for them and people in other countries do it.
6. Stay in the right-hand lane except when you are overtaking, and only overtake if it will not slow up other traffic.
7. Do not do U-turns on a national highway.

Tuk Tuks are not tricycles they are far superior so do not drive them like a tricycle.

Driving slow on a major road is more dangerous than driving fast.

Cars are Guilty of Breaking the Obstruction law

When you see the huge number of cars that are guilty of breaking the Obstruction law it seems very unfair that enforcers ignore them and just go after Tuk Tuks.

Remembering that the Obstruction Law say: No person shall drive his motor vehicle in such a manner as to obstruct or impede the passage of any vehicle.

How many times in a day do you see car drivers doing three-point turns in the road and in doing so obstruct the passage of other vehicles? How many times do you see them sitting in the left-hand lane when not overtaking and in doing so obstructing the passage of other vehicles?

And worst of all how many times do you see car drivers pull onto a through road and in doing so force the traffic on the through road to stop or slow up?