CEBU, Philippines - Amabel Petalcorin of Cebu Normal University finds it very convenient to just cross the road rather than using the skywalk when going to school.
“Kapuyan man gud ko mosaka pa sa skywalk,” Petalcorin, 17, told The FREEMAN.
The student said she feels unease when using the skywalk alone due to the presence of street dwellers sleeping on the walkway.
Marjorie Caballero-Almanzor, 21, of Urgello Street in Cebu City also shared the same experience.
Almanzor said she would prefer crossing the road when in haste since using the skywalk takes time.
Apart from this, the awful smell from thrash also discouraged her from using the skyway, she said.
“Dili ra man unta lisod pagsaka sa skywalk, ang ako lang pod kay hugaw ang uban skywalk tungod anang mga tao nga diha ra matog ba. Magpataka raman gud sila labay sa ila basura, magkatag ra diha. Usahay baho man,” she added.
The concerns of Almanzor and Petalcorin are what the Cebu Provincial Board asked the local government units in the province to address.
The PB urged LGUs to improve the state of their skywalks by making necessary repairs or modifications to encourage pedestrians to use them.
Based on its observation, the body in a resolution said some, if not most, pedestrians still prefer to just cross the road despite the presence of skywalks, thus, putting their lives at risk.
“The government spent millions of pesos drawn from the public treasury to create such infrastructures to keep pedestrians safe when crossing the road,” read part of the body’s resolution sponsored by Board Member Arleigh Sitoy.
“Such skywalks are deemed useless considering that only a few prudent pedestrians are using the same,” it added.
Sitoy suggested that the problem on steep stairways should be addressed by installing ramps to make them more convenient to the public.
Further, the Provincial Board also asked LGUs in the province to make their sidewalks safe and accessible for persons with disabilities.
The body said some sidewalks have no ramps and are too narrow to fit a single wheelchair, discouraging PWDs on their wheelchairs from using them.
“It is a sad fact that though we are encouraging them to come out into the open and integrate themselves with society, simple tasks such as moving from one point to the other seem to be a constant burden,” Sitoy said. —/LPM (FREEMAN)