Huli ka!

Read that the MMDA also considers the "encroachment of roads and easements by shops, itinerant vendors and slum dwellers" a major contributor to traffic build-up. They specifically mentioned those places that use the sidewalks and roads as parking slots for their establishments, even going as far as placing signages to prevent non-customers from parking there. MMDA's Executive Director Angelito Vergel de Dios stated that he will be urging the mayors to deny renewal of the business permits of these violators.

This seems like a good move, but it is highly unlikely that we will see any real response to this call, at least in the near future.

Anyway, read more about it here. Note that the article is mainly about the MMDA's RFID initiative for PUBs, so just go straight to the bottom.

How will regular joes follow the rules when those who are tasked to enforce them don't follow them at all?

Just take a look at this cop riding his bike on the sidewalk.
Hope they clean the police force of these kinds of people. And the MMDA, army, fire department and the rest of the government as well.

This was taken on Ortigas Ave., approaching the Santolan intersection. Quite a common scene in roads with a moderate amount of traffic.Anyway, these bikes even had the gall to beep their horns at the pedestrians, even if they had no right to be on the sidewalk in the first place. Kawawa naman yung mga naglalakad.

Here's a different take on the sidewalk issue, which was discussed in two previous posts (here and here). It seems that the functions assigned for the sidewalks and roads have been swapped.
Motorcycles, like this one seen on C5 last Friday, October 7, at 6:41pm, can be regularly seen careening on sidewalks. No wonder people prefer to walk on the roads. It's much, much safer.

Here's another example of people clogging up traffic by using the road as a sidewalk. This was taken on the ground level road of EDSA, right beside the Magallanes interchange last Friday, September 30, at around 6:11pm.
Like what was mentioned in a previous post, you really can't blame them. The sidewalk's just too narrow to accommodate the hordes of people passing this area. And most of the sidewalk is taken up by street vendors. The MMDA should really revive their sidewalk clearing operations.

Filipinos have this nasty habit of using the road as an extension of the sidewalk.
This pic was taken near the Sucat Road-President's Avenue intersection in Paranaque last September 8 (sorry for the late post). I know that most people do this primarily for convenience. Either the designated loading or unloading zone is too far a walk, or the sidewalk is just too crowded with people or sidewalk vendors and their stalls and wares, or there's just too much debris from unfinished construction projects or informal garbage dumps.

But, hey, suck it up! Filipinos need to start learning to sacrifice a little convenience for the better good. Start walking (exercise is good for you, anyway), bear with the crowds, move your stalls to the proper locations, and start cleaning up properly.