City’s traffic system to get an upgrade

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City traffic signalization system along the non-Bus Rapid Transit route would be upgraded once the P150 million budget is approved by the council.

Cebu City Traffic Operations Management executive director Rafael Yap said 78 signal lights in different intersections will be prioritized. He said the installation and upgrading of the system will be done by phase, which will complement the BRT mass transport.

Yap said the amount covers the software, cables, signal lights, surveillance cameras, and other advanced equipment.

“This will address and improve the city’s traffic signalization system especially those intersections not covered in the BRT project,” he said adding that it can proceed independently with BRT.

Yap earlier said that the current system has been outdated for several years that it needs a total upgrade for a smooth flow of traffic.

In a resolution, the CITOM Board stressed the need to upgrade and update the “obsolete” system considering that the Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System was acquired way back in 1991 or 23 years ago under the backing of the Metro Cebu Development Project-3.

 Yap assured the City Council that the traffic signal lights along the BRT route will not be affected but will be upgraded instead.

The P10.6-billion BRT system that would be operational by 2017 covers 16 kilometers and will be built in two phases. The first phase will be from Bulacao to the Cebu Business District, with links to the malls Ayala Center and SM City Cebu while the second phase will be from Ayala Center to Talamban.

 It will traverse from Bulacao in the South West to Talamban in the North East corridors using dedicated lanes and feeder routes, provide the crucial and key connections to and from the various points of the BRT stations, operating in mixed traffic.

In yesterday’s budget hearing, Yap said they are expecting to exceed this year’s target collection of P65 million as they are anticipating to collect P70 million at the end of the year. 

CITOM’s proposed total allocation for next year was pegged at P357.81 million, which tripled this year’s P131.1 million and P129.9 million in 2013.

Yap said their budget increased because their department will be in full transition next year to City Transportation Office. But for purposes of branding, CITOM remains.

The proposed budget includes funds for personnel services (P124l.39 million), maintenance and other operating expenses (P42.66million), and capital Outlay at P190,750,000.

Apart from traffic signalization upgrade, part of the capital outlay would go to the development of CCTO’s impounding area at the South Road Properties amounting to P23 million.

The proposed capital outlay allocation likewise includes funds for the purchase of clamps (P7.25 million), traffic barriers (P5 million), and communication equipment (P3.5 million); fabrication of 3M pedestrian railings (P1 million); and feasibility design for the CITOM building (P1 million).

Part of the MOOE was also for the miscellaneous traffic management services cost (P13 million) and for maintenance of traffic lights system (P2.23 million). — (FREEMAN)