Temporary terminal to open at SRP

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management (Citom) will open a temporary terminal at the South Road Properties on weekends to cater to the riding public who will be caught by traffic congestion brought about by the Sinulog activities.

Citom operations chief Joy Tumulak said the temporary terminal will be situated beside the city motor pool and will be opened starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Tumulak said that there will be on standby buses, mini-busses, and v-hire to serve the commuters from the south. Vehicles coming from the south will have an entry point at SRP in Talisay, while vehicles going to south from Cebu City are advised to take the N. Bacalso route passing Mambaling flyover to SRP.

Tumulak said that the Campaña Maritima building will be the drop-off and pick-up points going to the temporary terminal at the SRP.

According to Tumulak, there are 60 Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs) with special permit from LTFRB to provide service to the commuters at the Campaña Maritima. Each commuter will be charged a regular fare of P7.

Citom opted not to use the usual temporary terminal near the University of the Philippines (UP)-SRP this year because of the continuous downpour in the past few days.

Tumalak said that commuters from the north will not be affected by the temporary traffic scheme.

He advised the motorists to keep their patience because of the expected traffic congestion.

"Dapat bugnaw ang ulo sa mga motorists and commuters, and i-extend ang patience, ato na lamang dawaton kay fiesta man ni," Tumulak added.

Meanwhile, Citom has announced that they will start the clearing operations as early as 8 a.m. on Saturday to prepare the route for the solemn procession.

The clearing operations will cover streets from Basilica, Magallanes, Borromeo, Panganiban, N. Bacalso, V. Rama up to B. Rodriquez, Fuente Osmeña and Osmeña blvd.

Roads that will be used for the procession will be closed starting at 12 noon. All structures obstructing city's sidewalks will be removed and vehicles parked along the streets after 12 noon will be towed.— (FREEMAN)