LRT, MRT pushed anew

CEBU, Philippines – Cebuanos should push for the establishment of a Light Rail Transit or a Mono Rail Transit to decongest traffic problem now and in the future.

"We should continue to push for LRT and MRT. Moingon sila nga walay budget?. How come Metro Manila daghan na man kaayo na sila og LRT and MRT to the point nga di na gani nila ma maintain," said Architect Michael Yumi Espina, Mega Cebu co-chairman on the sub-committee on integrated planning and development.

Espina, who is also dean of the University of San Carlos-College of Architecture and Fine Arts, said that this is the right time to connect all road centers from Danao City to Carcar City.

"Usa ra ta ka linya sa LRT or MRT from Danao to Carcar and once we have it, we can spread development in these areas. This is one way of decongesting the urban area. We need the LRT to be able to succeed in this dispersing those growth centers. We should do that as early as now otherwise we will sprawl like Manila," Espina said.

Espina cited three-level strategy against urban sprawl. These include disperse growth centers, defines pre-urban area, and develop the “Green Loop.”

The "Green Loop" aims to have a pedestrian-dominated, transit-oriented corridor around the four local government units in the urban area of Metro Cebu to improve social connections among the people.

"Some cities have been designed for cars not for people. We should have more road sharing where people can walk through the sidewalks," said Espina in his presentation during the forum of Mega Cebu Vision 2020 yesterday.

Espina said that the “Green Loop” will try to solve the traffic problem in urban areas through road sharing scheme wherein pedestrians share the roads with the vehicles.

Among its objectives include: bringing legibility of the city by connecting major land uses; to apply controlled densification and shift developments away from forest reserves, to enhance social connections among the population; and  provide sense of place, inclusive and democratic and to preserve the natural environment and apply "green" initiatives such as E-jeepney , bike lanes, among others.

"We have to make our sidewalk wider. Some solutions have opposite paradigm. The best solution could be different from the normal.  We will have more traffic if people do not walk. That is why we are riding jeepney because there are no sidewalks, no provisions for bike lanes," Espina said.

Espina said that there should be a change in the mindset that infrastructure should be designed for people and not for cars, which is now a worldwide phenomenon. He cited Paris where vehicles are banned from entering the city streets.

"More cars are unhealthy for the environment. Only ten percent of our population have cars and ninety percent of our population could not have cars and yet the reversed is real, ninety percent of our roads are for cars with very little sidewalks for people," he lamented. —/FPL (FREEMAN)