City helps prepare for school opening

As thousands of students return to school today, sidewalks and skywalks near academic institutions are also to be cleared of unauthorized vendors and vagrants for the safety of students especially the children.

The city council has directed the Squatters Prevention, Encroachment, and Elimination Division to make sure that sidewalks and skywalks near schools are passable and free of vagrants and unauthorized vendors.

Councilor Edgardo Labella said that many parents have expressed apprehension on the safety of the children in going to and coming from their schools because the children feel that the sidewalks and skywalks are no longer safe.

Aside from this, the council also directed the City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) to ensure that no vehicles are illegally parked on the sidewalks near the schools, as the same would also cause obstruction to human traffic.

“It would really help minimize exposing the lives and limbs of pedestrians — especially school children — if sidewalks and skywalks would be free of the aforesaid obstructions,”

Likewise, the council has directed CITOM to monitor the speed of vehicles near schools and to enforce the required speed limit, as mandated by the city’s traffic code.

Section 1, Article XIV of the Revised Traffic Code of Cebu City specifically prohibits any driver to stop, stand or park a vehicle on the sidewalk “except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the law or the directions of a police officer or traffic control device.”

A study conducted by an international non-profit organization in 2003 indicated that approximately 2,250 children lost their lives and 93,854 were injured in traffic accidents all over the country.

In line with this, the city has created the Oplan Balik Eskwela, a group that would monitor the different schools here to ensure safety and cleanliness.

Tomorrow, inspection will be done at the University of San Carlos, Cebu Normal University, Gothong High School, and City Central School.

In fact, the monitoring committee would already give accreditation to vendors who are selling outside the schools, also to ensure that the goods they are peddling are clean.

Stores near academic institutions would also be randomly inspected to make certain that no liquor is being sold to students during class hours.   — Joeberth M. Ocao/NLQ