P39M equipment to help manage Mandaue traffic

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue City yesterday inaugurated P39 million worth of traffic equipment as part of the second phase of the implementation of its modern traffic light system.

The new equipment include five sets of traffic lights set up in five intersections of the city and 42 units of closed-circuit television cameras in seven intersections.

City traffic operations chief Glenn Antigua said some of the intersections where either a new traffic light system or new CCTV cameras have been installed are Canduman, Pansabungan, Tabok (near Maguikay and Subangdaku flyover), M.L. Quezon corner Hernan Cortes, F. Cabahug corner Hernan Cortes, M. Logarta Avenue, U.N. Avenue, Immaculada and Centro.

Timothy Ong, operations head of Triune Electronics System Inc. which supplies the equipment, said since the CCTV cameras are connected with the use of fiber optics technology, transmission of traffic information to the Command Center will be much faster and reliable.

“Actually, mas mabilis siya. Mas mabilis ang transmission, walang lag obviously because ang transmission mo (is) speed of light. Wala rin siyang issues na maa-affect ng weather distrubances,” he said.

Ong added that Mandaue is so far the only city outside Metro Manila which uses this advancement in traffic technology.

“Mandaue, being the heart and the gateway of the island of Cebu, is continually improving its traffic management system. The additional traffic lights and cameras will aid in road monitoring and allow traffic personnel to respond more quickly to traffic incidents,” Ong said.

He also said the system aims to improve and smoothen the transport of goods and services in the metro.

With the second phase of the project already implemented, Mayor Jonas Cortes expects a more manageable traffic in Mandaue, especially since the city’s traffic situation during peak hours has often become the subject of criticisms from motorists and commuters.

Cortes, who led yesterday’s inauguration rites, believes the additional traffic lights and new cameras will greatly help monitor traffic situation amid the lack of traffic personnel in the city.

Mandaue implemented the first phase of its traffic light system modernization project in August 2013 where it switched on 36 new traffic lights installed in nine intersections.

Last year, the city set up five traffic lights and 42 CCTV cameras, which went into full operation starting yesterday. — (FREEMAN)