Baguio reviews traffic ordinance for major updates

BAGUIO CITY — Representatives from offices enforcing traffic and transportation regulations convened on December 4–5, 2025 to begin a comprehensive review of Baguio City’s decades-old traffic ordinance, aiming to update outdated provisions and consolidate newer traffic measures into a modernized code.

Ordinance 7-1984, enacted over 40 years ago, remains the city’s primary guideline for road use, traffic flow, vehicle operation, driver responsibilities, and parking within both city and national roads, particularly in the Central Business District.

Despite amendments introduced through various ordinances over the years, officials acknowledged that many provisions no longer reflect current mobility trends and enforcement needs.

Key sections of the ordinance include requirements for motorcycle passengers to wear helmets, obligations for drivers to stop and assist during accidents, and penalties for overspeeding, reckless driving, and illegal parking.

It also establishes zoning-based parking rules and regulates road obstructions, load securing, and vehicle processions. 

During the first day of the workshop, participants recommended integrating pedestrian-oriented laws such as the King of the Road Ordinance and the Anti-Distracted Walking Ordinance into the updated code.

They also proposed incorporating the city’s Speed Limit Ordinance and expanding the list of prohibited intoxicants.

Suggested revisions included setting blood alcohol concentration thresholds: 0.05 percent for private vehicle drivers operating units not exceeding 4,500 kilograms, and 0.00 percent for drivers of trucks, buses, motorcycles, and public utility vehicles.

The workshop, led by the office of Councilor Fred Bagbagen, is expected to produce a proposed ordinance amending outdated provisions, repealing obsolete rules, and updating the city’s Traffic and Transportation Code to extend beyond the first volume’s 1945–2007 coverage and include legislation from 2008 onward.

City Council personnel with codification experience noted that the event represents only a small portion of the overall effort needed to align multiple pieces of legislation.

More workshops, consultations, and extensive policy research are anticipated in the coming months.