A LEGISLATOR wants to ban vendors from all sidewalks.

In House Bill 4850, or the Pedestrian Protection Act of 2011, Liberal Party Rep. Imelda Calixto-Rubiano of Pasay City wants sidewalks to be dedicated for pedestrians so as to protect them from accidents while on the road.

It also mandates local governments to install highly visible signs on all public roads to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

“The bill will address the seeming neglect of the rights of pedestrians in the country’s traffic laws to ensure their protection and safety,” said Rubiano.

“The protection of pedestrians is admittedly of paramount consideration in traffic regulations. However, this concern has not been properly and sufficiently addressed and defined in our traffic laws,” she added.

She said a cursory reading of the country’s traffic laws and regulations reveals that the said rules focus greatly on motorists, placing pedestrians on the sidelines.

“Traffic laws are promulgated to establish order on roadways and ensure [the] safety of motorist and pedestrians alike.  However, while the country is implementing traffic rules in accordance with internationally recognized standards, such rules proved wanting and deficient in so far as pedestrian protection is concerned,” Rubiano said.

As embodied in the bill, local governments and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) shall provide sidewalks on public roads within their jurisdiction for the use of the pedestrians.

The local governments and DPWH shall ensure that such sidewalk is free of any obstruction that may endanger the safety of pedestrians or hamper the free passage on the sidewalk.

They shall also guarantee that clearly marked and visible signs are posted and conspicuously placed to indicate on-going construction activities or repair work along public roads or sidewalks.

In addition, when traffic control signals are not in place or in operation and no sign indicates otherwise, the driver of a vehicle shall yield, slowing down or stopping if need be to yield to a pedestrian crossing the road.

The measure provides that when a vehicle is stopped at a crosswalk to permit a pedestrian to cross the public road, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.

Persons who violate the rights of the pedestrian will be penalized with a fine of P5,000 or imprisonment of one year or both.