CITOM told: Study before experiment

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council has asked the City Traffic Operations Management to conduct a traffic study before implementing any road experiment.

Councilor Alvin Arcilla said he is not against the road experiments implemented by CITOM but stressed that there should be basis on its experiments to ease traffic situation, especially in Banilad-Talamban corridor.

“Ang ako lang unta sa CITOM, mo-come up sila og scientific approach, time and motion study, counting of vehicles kay daghan na kaayo sila og changes sa experiments but walay basis,” he said during an executive session, adding that CITOM should conduct consultations before coming up with a traffic scheme.

Arcilla, who called for the executive session, said that there should be a collective effort from the city government and private stakeholders for sustainable solutions of the worsening traffic at Ban-Tal corridor.

The Ban-Tal corridor is defined as the roadway between Asilo de Milagrosa Church, Gorordo Avenue through Governor M.J. Cuenco Avenue until the junction fronting the Barangay Talamban gym.

It is identified as one of the city’s “busiest commercial, educational and residential area.”

Ban-Tal task force and CITOM have been implementing experiments along the area, like the no-left turn policy, among others.

Land Transportation Office-7 director Arnel Tancinco also reminded CITOM that basic protocol in implementing policies includes collecting of data, consideration of the road capacity, road volume, causes of delay, obstructions, point of conflicts, among others.

While admitting that LTO does not have the mandate for traffic management, Tancinco said that implementation of traffic scheme could have been easier if CITOM has collected data first.

Homeowners association representatives were also present during the session. Ma. Luisa State Park Association president Enrique Abellana said that there should be strict enforcement of the law and ordinances.

Abellana said that there are many public utility jeepneys that do not follow traffic signs and signals, causing traffic to slow.

He said that there should be proper coordination with the Mandaue City traffic management team since it is the neighboring area of the city, and that some vehicles from Mandaue City will pass through Cebu City and vice versa.

Jose Baronia, Jr., president of Holy Family Village 2, said that the experiments implemented by CITOM somehow instill discipline among villagers.

Narciso Solon, member of Ban-Tal task force, said that enforcers should be visible at all times, stressing that many drivers and passengers violate traffic signals because enforcers are not visible.

Solon said that the corridor has no pocket lanes where jeepneys can stop to unload passengers. Since there are many business establishments and universities along the corridor, he said that it is necessary to have pocket lanes located near these establishments and private lots.

Solon said that unsystematic loading and unloading of passengers somehow contributed to the congestion at the area.

He suggested an education campaign on traffic rules and regulations to students and stakeholders along the corridor. Homeowner associations representatives said that habal-habal drivers also contributed to the traffic congestion.

Businessman Bunny Pages, who heads the Ban-Tal task force, asked the City Council to make representation with the Department of Public Works and Highways-7 to negotiate for the road right of way of those affected by the road widening project along the corridor.

Pages said that the long term solution to address the traffic problem along the area is to implement the long overdue project of DPWH. (FREEMAN)