No traffic, no hassle

I have been a resident of F. Cabahug Street, in Barangay Kasambagan, this city since 1974, a full decade after the Villa Aurora Subdivision started selling its lots. When opened to the public, this street was just a part of the road network of the subdivision. There was nary a jeepney that went into our village. This was so because for about twenty years from when I began residing here, this road had its dead end not far from my place. The traffic going to, coming from and traveling within our subdivision was really sparse.

In the early 90's, however, this road was, in a design that was unbelievably difficult to rationalize, extended to link to Subangdaku, Mandaue City. Rather than punch a straight line from F. Cabahug Street to Hernan Cortes Avenue in Mandaue City, the linkage curved twice in such a way that we could imagine it was intended to abut some lots whose owners were friendly to powers that be.

Even so, the volume of traffic has steadily grown. In fact, in the last few afternoons, while working on some papers at home, I noticed that the gridlock has become worrisomely intolerable. Still two of the clock in the afternoon cars, vans, trucks and articulated vehicles were lined up almost bumper-to-bumper along the road. They were moving on quick stop-and-go turns and each time the vehicles were not moving, it seemed like eternity.

F. Cabahug Street now serves as a major artery connecting Cebu City and Mandaue City. It is flanked by Gov M. Cuenco Avenue that services Talamban area and the M. J. Cuenco Avenue (old Martires Street). These three roads absorb the bulk of travelers between these cities in addition of course to the highways linking the reclamation areas of both cities.

With the way I describe the saturation of the traffic along F. Cabahug Street, it is safe to conclude that it is now time one, to straighten the said road as to directly lead to Hernan Cortes Avenue, and two, build a new straight road that starts from A. S. Fortuna Highway, and crosses thru San Vicente Village in Subangdaku and Casals Village in Mabolo to flow along S. Cabahug Street to its end at Barangay Mabolo. As a result of such construction, there shall, in effect, be two roads where there is but one F. Cabahug Street.

I write on this concern because in a three-day convention of construction companies, the secretary of the Department of Public Works and Communication tickled us, Cebuanos, with the announcement that billions of pesos are finally being appropriated for Cebu. The fund is in the pipeline, a euphemism for something available but not yet on hand, and a huge percentage of this forthcoming outlay is for construction of roads.

Highways authorities of course, know what should be built and perhaps, understand what Cebu and Mandaue Cities need especially to prepare our localities for the forthcoming APEC forum. I assume that they also have conducted studies upon studies to show before deciding where a road should be made. But, it may equally be possible that they do not have actuarial knowledge of the monstrosity that our traffic has become. In that event, ordinary mortals, like me, who witness daily how dreadful our traffic jams are, may indicate to them where to focus their feasibility studies on. That is why this piece.

While Sec. Singson spoke in terms of billions of pesos, that amount is really not as big as we like to think it is. Given that perceived restraint, he should direct government planners to ascertain that the said available fund has to be spent only in projects that are as urgently necessary as the desired new link between these cities. Indeed, as a result of this intended new road, we shall witness the slackening of the grid lock we are presently witnessing. And as motorists, we shall be eased knowing that our officials have finally addressed this problem.

Ultimately, and this is more than just wishful thinking on my part, we hope to see not only this link between cities, but a network of links that make driving across cities and municipalities of this province, bearable in the near future. No traffic, no hassle.

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