CITOM warns public: More traffic experiments coming

CEBU, Philippines - Motorists in Cebu City can expect more modifications in the traffic scheme here as the City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) experiments on other alternatives to address the traffic problem. 

CITOM Executive Director Victor Caindec said the current modifications like the new parking scheme at the Fuente Circle and the flashing of traffic lights are but short term solutions and CITOM wants to come up with long term ones.

To reach this objective, experiments need to be undertaken, Caindec said.

As far as the parking scheme at the Fuente Circle is concerned, Caindec said CITOM has not received any complaints, so far.

“Motorists need to park diagonally on a designated parking bay near Rajah Park and other establishments,” he said.

“Basically, nakuhaan na og half lane ang circle but it also addresses the need of the stakeholders in the area nga they really need a parking space, although in the long term, we told them that they should find a parking space nga mas sustainable na siya,” he added.

Considering that CITOM does not have enough personnel to man all 78 intersections, Caindec said he has asked the CITOM section heads to identify which intersections the traffic lights need to be flashed.

The flashing lights scheme is in effect in busy intersections like those in Osmeña Boulevard, P. del Rosario and Leon Kilat streets, among others.

CITOM operations chief Jonathan Tumulak had said the main purpose of the flashing light experiment is for CITOM to calculate better when the traffic lights should turn green or red in relation to the volume of vehicles that should be accommodated within the span of a street from one traffic light to the next.

Meanwhile, Caindec explained that the ‘no left turn’ scheme implemented at the intersection of General Maxilom Avenue and Ramos Street for jeepneys plying the 04C route is Mayor Michael Rama’s way of “putting order” in the area.

“Ramos experiment will continue to be like that because it is going to affect General Maxilom and we don’t want General Maxilom to be clogged definitely. General Maxilom is really important for us because mao man gud na siya ang artery sa mga ambulances going to the hospitals,” he said.

Caindec said the current modifications are to ensure a “predictable flow of traffic.” The bottom line, he said, is to maximize the road network here by recalibrating open roads that are not flaunted with vehicles and modifying roads that are highly congested.

As a long term option, the CITOM board is eyeing at recommending road widening and modifying pocket lanes to accommodate the increasing volume of vehicles in the city.

“For now, I don’t think that there is road shortage bisag kahibaw ta nga volume of vehicles is increasing every now and then, but what we do in CITOM is that we implement road elasticity and road modifications,” he said. — /JMO (FREEMAN)