Baguio City braces for heavier Yule traffic

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Traffic management officials here are planning to implement a “vacation lane” scheme to allow tourists to visit Mt. Pulag, Sagada, Atok and other tourist destinations in Benguet and Mt. Province without passing through the city proper.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the plan is in anticipation of heavier traffic jams caused by the influx of holiday tourists and the holding of different Yule season activities in the city.

He added that the police’s Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU) and the city’s Transportation Management Division are adjusting the traffic regulations to apply them to heavier traffic conditions.

TEU chief Lt. Zacarias Dausen said that, when the need arises, the rerouting schemes for intersections and traffic bottlenecks would be immediately implemented.

The Baguio City Tourism Office recorded around 80,000 tourist arrivals in only two days during the last week of November.

Tourism Officer Aloysius Mapalo said a similar trend is expected in all weekends of December, adding that the city’s major attractions – Botanical Garden, Camp John Hay, Baguio Country Club Christmas Village, Wright Park, Igorot Stone Kingdom and Mirador Ecopark – have experienced heavy traffic for the past two weeks.