More traffic lights, CCTVs soon in Mandaue

CEBU, Philippines – As another way to solve its traffic problems, Mandaue City is enhancing its monitoring and adding new traffic lights systems which are expected to be realized within the first half of the year.

Timothy Ong from the winning bidder Trion Electronics System said there will be five sets of traffic lights to be installed in five major intersections and seven areas will get closed-circuit television cameras for monitoring.

The project, which is now on its second phase, will cost the city P39 million.

Ong said they have already placed all the foundations, like posts where these gadgets will be attached to. The light systems will be using fiber optics technology.

He explained that the CCTVs will be connected to the Command Center and the personnel there will be using to help man the traffic and peace and order situation in Mandaue. The city has 36 CCTVs from the first phase of this project, and Trion will place an additional set of 42.

City planning and development coordinator Florentino Nimor said they will have "plenty of eyes" for them once the new CCTVs will be installed.

Nimor said with the help of CCTVs, their response time to accidents and crimes is "less than three minutes."

He said this is not the last phase, as they plan to place as many CCTVs and provide traffic systems to areas that still don't have them. (FREEMAN)