Online petition launched to control large trucks traveling through downtown San Pedro

Following a nearly tragic incident involving a large dump truck and a man on a bicycle, an online petition to better monitor or possibly stop the flow of large vehicles in downtown San Pedro was launched. The accident happened on Thursday, April 18th, when the individual was reportedly pinned to a utility post when a huge truck tried to make a right turn at the end of Angel Coral Street. Passersby alerted the cyclist just in time. Medical personnel assisted the bicyclist, who was treated for minor injuries. However, this incident fueled rising concerns from islanders who believe urgent action is necessary to prevent a potential tragedy. As a result, resident Carina Paz created an online petition with over a thousand signatures by Wednesday, April 24th.
The online campaign was primarily launched to draw attention to the need for better traffic control in the downtown area. Over the years, downtown San Pedro has become overcrowded with all types of vehicles, which has made it difficult for people to navigate the area safely. With the increase in development, traffic has further increased and become dangerous. Giant dump and delivery trucks traverse downtown to transport material between the northern and southern parts of San Pedro, which makes the situation even worse. The incident that occurred on Thursday was something that many islanders were expecting because the congestion is out of control, posing a significant threat to pedestrians and students.
Paz told The San Pedro Sun that it is time to get serious and implement a sustainable tourism masterplan on the island. “The development on the island needs to go through the proper procedures, which may require an Environmental Impact Assessment and public consultations,” Paz noted. Paz believes that initiating a petition process to gather support from the affected community is crucial; a unified group yields better results than individual efforts, and as such, she is asking people to sign the online petition.
“I aim to be a vocal advocate for our community, which has remained silent for far too long,” Paz continued. Paz listed some suggestions for correcting the traffic congestion problem in San Pedro. The first is to cease the importation of vehicles to the island and ban large dump trucks for mining purposes. She adds that mining for private purposes should also be prohibited, along with the reclamation, selling, and filling of wetlands. “All this leads to deterioration of the quality of life here on our island,” she said. Many who signed the online petition said the island needs a better development plan. Some agree that progress is inevitable; however, if a better and more responsible plan is not implemented, the charm and the marine resources around San Pedro may be jeopardized.
The problem of large trucks in downtown San Pedro Town has been ongoing. Residents have expressed their frustration regularly and have appealed to local authorities to take more strict measures to address the issue. Although the San Pedro Town Council has scheduled times for these large trucks to operate over the past few months to reduce traffic and avoid potential accidents, those concerned about the traffic problems insist that the regulations be enforced.
The link to sign the petition is https://shorturl.at/ajrvI.