The controversial Plaridel Street-UN Avenue junction - II

So far, there’s no definite reaction from the TEAM Board on the issue of unreasonable “exclusivity” accorded to the Mactan-Cebu City motorists, to the utter disregard of affected Mandauehanons who also want to use directly the critical junction at specified hours.

 There’s also no answer to the question: Where else in the world can you find a “through” expressway being diverted by a 1.5 kilometers re-routing and 1.5 kilometers return diversion. Or, a traffic situation when “principal” users of the “through” expressway give way to the diversionary users.

 Retired PNP Major Edwin Ermac insists that maintaining the Left Turn at Plaridel Street from Mactan would entail 15 to 20 minutes delay. That’s quite an exaggeration since during his appearance before the council of elders he declared that the peak traffic thereat is only at 6:00 PM. Besides, as suggested by Engr. Tony Sanchez, let the TEAM experts regulate or synchronize the “Go” traffic signal, say, for 3 minutes if need be, or longer than the “through” passage of Plaridel Street to Cansaga Bay. Or, try the proposed time slots suggested by the council of elders, but by gam, it should not be exclusive to the convenience and free-wheeling luxury of the Mactan-Cebu City motorists only.

 Moreover, it appears now that the traffic users of the two Mandaue-Mactan bridges are not equalized, that is, the newer second bridge has more users. Why not equalize as much as possible the traffic volume of the two bridges, say, basing on odd and even plate numbers of vehicles. If one recalls right, Major Ermac retorted that Mactan authorities are not in favor of the scheme. And so, Mactan LGUs take precedence, and disregard the Mandaue situation, and Cebu City also has its way in traffic matters. In fact, they have denied Mandaue PUJs from using Gorordo Avenue and Jones Avenue, despite being allowed by the LTFRB in the PUJs franchises. In effect, it’s Mandaue City that sacrifices the need of Mandauehanons as long as Mactan and Cebu City motorists enjoy free rein in the territorial domain of Mandaue.

 Further, to ease the traffic situation at the subject Plaridel junction, Major Ermac even informed the council of elders that of the Paknaan 5,000 tricycles, more or less, only about 2,000 are franchised. And so, the TEAM Board has addressed this problem caused by the Paknaan tricycles, which is salutary. Perhaps, it would be more so if they can discipline Paknaan tricycle drivers plying the route to occupy the inner lane for fast-passing vehicles to overtake. Or, better still, is it allowed for tricycles to ply the expressways?

  This write-up focuses on the traffic situation at the Plaridel Street-UN Avenue junction, which, if the TEAM Board’s proposed ordinance would pass en toto, would balloon into chaotic scope. First, it denies Mandauehanons and other motorists the right to pass directly crossing the Plaridel-UN Avenue junction, at all hours. Second, diverting the northward passage of Plaridel Street by letting northward-bound vehicles turn left at S.B. Cabahug is adding or infusing unnecessary clogging of Centro proper and the busy S.B. Cabahug route up to busy M.C. Briones choke point. Third, vehicles using Cansaga Bridge down south, again, worsen clogging of narrow Burgos Street that ends up at Centro proper.

 Now, owing to the confusion and unclear atmosphere of the public hearing at the Sports Complex – poor sound system, obviously not fully prepared, too unwieldy – when very vital issues have not been resolved or crystallized, this writer suggests another smaller venue. If the Hon. Vice-Mayor and the Hon. SP members don’t mind, one suggests another meeting at the Mayor’s Conference Room, exclusive for the SP, the council of elders, and the TEAM Board and/or Major Edwin Ermac as principal proponent of the subject proposed ordinance.

 Concerned and interested Mandauehanons deserve more in-depth deliberation of the proposed traffic Ordinance 42-2011 and will be keeping tabs later on how the SP should individually take a vote thereon. This issue being official business of transcendental importance, the public is eager to be informed, in like manner that even other business doesn’t escape their attention.

(P.S.: Instead of turning “left” as inadvertently stated in previous column, the Cansaga Bay traffic southward turns right at UN Avenue-Plaridel St. junction.)