TEAM chief: Dry run “generally smooth”

CEBU, Philippines - As expected, the first day of a 60-day dry run of Mandaue City’s new traffic scheme yesterday resulted to confusion to both motorists and the public, but the city’s traffic said it was actually “generally smooth.”

“So far no, pag start nato pag morning until pag-peak (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) hours, naa tay nasugatan nga gagmay’ng problema apan di katong gi-expect nato nga worst na gyud nga maghuot,” said Traffic Enforcement of Mandaue (TEAM) Director Glenn Antigua. 

“Kay nakita nato nga medyo miluag ang dagan sa traffic diha sa S.B. Cabahug Street, naa lay paghuot sa MC Briones (Street) tungod man gud ang mga motorist niadtong tungora wala pa sila katoltol asa moagi,” he said.

Situations such as those in Mandaue are what the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board intends to address in the creation and strengthening of traffic management bodies to address the rising congestion, especially in the bustling cities of Cebu and Mandaue.

MCDCB has already requested Japan International Cooperation Agency to do a traffic study and suggest solutions.

The MCDCB has been working with JICA on its Mega Cebu 2050 vision, which is an urban development vision and cooperation among the seven cities and six towns that compose Metropolitan Cebu, which show heavy concentration of development, urbanization and economic growth.

Evelyn Nacario-Castro, MCDCB-Research Program and Organizational Development executive director, said the traffic study for Metro Cebu is scheduled to start next year.

When asked how long the feasibility study would take, Castro said it depends on the subject matter, scope, and the data gathering.

She said other factors would also considered, such as road right-of-way acquisition, policy, people, and project management aspects of the study.

“Traffic cannot be addressed that easy since there are other dimensions to be considered as well,” she said, as she acknowledged the local government units for taking the cudgel in crafting measures to help address traffic situation in Cebu.

Castro said that once the study is done they would recommend it to Cebu congressmen for use as basis in crafting legislation for Metro Cebu’s traffic problem.

“We still have to look at various angles and several examples, ensuring we consult key people. Once it’s done, Cebu congressmen can introduce a bill in congress,” she said.

The study would also back the proposed creation of the Metro Cebu Development Authority, an umbrella traffic body that would be similar to the Metro Manila Development Authority.

Metro Cebu encompasses the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Talisay, Danao, Naga, and Carcar, and the municipalities of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, Cordova, Minglanilla, and San Fernando.

In yesterday’s traffic experimentation, Traffic Enforcement of Mandaue (TEAM) Director Glenn Antigua said many did not know where to proceed during the implementation of the new traffic scheme.

However, Antigua clarified that despite the confusion, everything was generally “smooth”.

He said that many motorists likely just took for granted the signages they set up in the affected streets.

Among the complaints coming from both motorists and commuters was that the new traffic scheme actually resulted to more traffic congestion in the city.

A Public Utility Jeepney driver said he normally makes six round trips per day but managed to only four yesterday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Several students also said they were late in going to school because the driner of the PUJ they rode did not know where to pass through.

Sought again for his observations of traffic flow from 4 p.m. to 6:40 p.m. yesterday, Antigua said heavy traffic volume was expected as compared to that in the morning because both students and workers are on their way home.

“Ang volume sa traffic sa morning ug afternoon lahi man gud kung imo sabton.  Inig ka buntag, una mosud ang mga estudyante then sunod mga trabahante unya di pa gyud na magdungan ang mga trabahante di pareha inig hapon nga dungan gyud ug pauli,” Antigua said.

What added to the heavy congestion yesterday, he said, were four traffic accidents, including two that occurred near the Mandaue City Coliseum at the corner of S.B. Cabahug and A.C. Cortes Streets.   Another traffic accident occurred near the Bagsakan Center still at S.B. Cabahug Street and the other one was near the Pacific mall at M.C. Briones street.

The heavy rains at around 12:45 pm yesterday likewise contributed to the city’s traffic jam along A.S Fortuna Street in Barangay Banilad, where vehicles passing the said area were stocked-up due to the heavy flooding in the area.

It was also noticed that” heavy traffic build-up” still M.C Briones Street at the vicinity of Pacific Mall, which is a bottleneck area.

Antigua, though, said that once motorists will be familiar with the new traffic scheme it would most likely decongest traffic in that area.  He said traffic yesterday normalized at around 6:40 p.m.

He assured they will be making some adjustments because they cannot do it perfectly during the first day of implementation. His office, he even said, welcomes suggestions coming from the public.

Aside from Antiqua and his personnel, Mayor Jonas Cortes also checked the resulting traffic situation and even helped install a few railings in some areas.

Antigua said their next move is to determine the city’s new loading and unloading areas.

And aside from implementing a new traffic scheme yesterday, TEAM also installed a few traffic lights near the intersection were also reconfigured, which was expected to be finished today .

Timothy James Ong, Operations of Truine Electronic System Inc. head contractor, said the city’s traffic lights need to be reconfigured so they would synchronize with the new traffic scheme.

Cebu City first District Representative Raul Del Mar has already lobbied several times for a passage of a law creating a traffic body for Metro Cebu, but the House of Representatives did not approve it. 

The Cebu Provincial Board has already passed a resolution asking Del Mar to re-file his bill for the creation of a traffic body in Metro Cebu.

Other Cebu congressmen likewise backed the creation of the MCDA.

In particular, 6th district Representative Luigi Quisumbing, also sought the creation of a Metro Cebu Traffic Management Authority that would be a venue for local government units to coordinate on planning and management of programs related to traffic.

If approved, the MCTMA would have “supervisory and regulatory authority over traffic operations in Metro Cebu,” as stipulated in House Bill 5556. — /RHM (FREEMAN)