Manila: To create safer streets for its residents, the Quezon City government rolled out new road safety policies to reduce traffic accidents and strengthen protections for students. On Monday, QC Mayor Joy Belmonte led the launch of three landmark policies in Cubao, as part of its collaboration with the Partnership for Healthy Cities, a global network of more than 70 cities committed to preventing noncommunicable diseases and injuries.
According to Philippines News Agency, the measures include the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the city's Comprehensive Road Safety Code, Safe School Zone Ordinance, and an executive order creating the Quezon City Road Safety Working Group (QC-RSWG). "We will continue working to ensure that everyone is safe on Quezon City roads. We are also proud that Quezon City has prepared for this next phase by training assessors who will help conduct school road safety audits and identify opportunities for road safety engineering interventions," Belmonte said.
Data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority show that QC has recorded the highest number of road crashes among the local government units in Metro Manila. A key component of the new policies is the IRR of the Comprehensive Road Safety Code, which was enacted in 2018 as the first local ordinance in the Philippines to adopt the Safe System Approach. This global framework promotes safer road design and transport systems to prevent serious injuries and fatalities. With the IRR now in effect, Belmonte said the ordinance moves into full implementation through clearer coordination among agencies and sustained enforcement.
The city also enacted the Safe School Zone Ordinance, which seeks to make areas around schools safer by requiring lower speed limits, improved pedestrian infrastructure, and better traffic management. QC Councilor Julienne Alyson Rae Medalla said the ordinance aims to ensure that schoolchildren can travel to and from school safely. "The Safe School Zone Ordinance aims to strengthen measures that will ensure the welfare and protection of students within and around school premises, including protection from road and traffic injuries," she said.
The QC-RSWG will oversee the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the city's Road Safety Action Plan, communications strategies, and related programs and initiatives. During the launch, Traffic and Transport Management Department Head Dexter Cardenas presented the development of the Road Safety Code's implementing rules and the functions of the newly created QC-RSWG.
Public interest law group Imagine Law welcomed the city's latest initiatives, expressing hope that other LGUs would replicate QC's initiatives. "We commend the Quezon City Government for continuously championing safer roads for all. As a pioneer in enacting a comprehensive road safety code, we hope that Quezon City inspires more cities and municipalities to do the same," Sophia San Luis, Executive Director of public interest law group ImagineLaw, said.
Deputy Regional Director for Asia Pacific Partnership for Healthy Cities at Vital Strategies, Farhad Ali, said the city's actions demonstrate the impact of local leadership on road safety. The World Health Organization stressed that road traffic injuries, despite being the leading cause of death among children and young adults aged 5 to 29 worldwide, are a preventable public health crisis.
